The Art of Pairing Video Games with Booze

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Night Train

2012-01-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

WARNING: The following experiment was conducted by professionals who have developed a strong tolerance for horrible video games and atrocious boozes. Attempting to replicate our actions in your own home will most likely result in the destruction of property and countless years of hopeless therapy sessions.

"Loaded like a freight train

Flying like an aeroplay-ane

Feelin' like a space brain

One more time tonigh-hee-ight."

- Axl Rose

A while back, my good friends Sarah and Gilad gave me an Atari 2600 along with a good number of games. These included classics such as "Ms. Pac Man" and "Skiing," all-in-all a veritable catalog of established arcade hits. But one cartridge stood out as I rifled through them. "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial!" I thought to myself "Isn't that supposed to be one of the worst games of all time?" At that very moment, I could feel a tiny gear beginning to turn in the dark compartment of my brain that is normally responsible for such things as self-loathing and my love of Shark Attack 3: Megalodon. I did a little research, and it turns out that E.T. was a failure so spectacular that it makes Duke Nukem' Forever feel better about itself (well, that might be a stretch).
E.T. was released in 1982, the same year as the wildly-successful film upon which it is based. The development of the game cost Atari an unheard-of $125 million, over 10 times the amount spent to make the film. Basing a video game on a movie was a novel idea at the time, and Atari expected to ride the film's coattails. Unfortunately, one minor problem got in their way.

E.T., the video game, really, really sucks. It involves running around, falling down holes (I think) and evading guys in trench coats and lab coats (I think). I cannot be particularly confident that I am correct in my description, as the game's graphics are poorly-designed, even for the standards of 1982. Perhaps the game originally included a manual or some sort of hint as to what the hell one is supposed to try to accomplish. Unfortunately, I do not have any such instructions. When I realized that I had E.T. in my possession, I knew that I must concoct a booze pairing of epic proportions. A booze pairing that would help me and my faithful companions plumb depths of stupidity and masochism hitherto unknown to man.

To paraphrase a wiser man than I, "If Mad Dog 20/20 is what you drink to get into a rowdy, fighting furor, Night Train is what you drink when you need to spend a cold night sleeping on a park bench." Night Train is often considered to be the king of the hobo wines (no, I'm not going to cite my source here. It's common knowledge). When I bought 4 bottles from my local liquor store, the cashier commented "Oh, you're about to ride the train good tonight!" She was right. Joined by Gilad, Sarah, and several other morbidly-curious friends (some had just come over to watch the State of the Union address, but we roped them in), we started drinking our Night Train and trading off attempts to crack the age-old riddle that is E.T. About 30 seconds into anyone's turn, one would begin to hear frustrated exclamations of "I keep falling down these goddamn holes!" and "What the fuck am I supposed to do?!" Fortunately, sweet lady Night Train was there for us, and reminded us that E.T. is not the only horrendously-shitty thing that one can experience. Night Train contains a whopping 17.5% alcohol. It describes itself as "Citrus wine and natural flavors." My crew described it as having "Big League chew and Fun Dip on the nose," "Medicinal tannins," and "Notes of cranberry, Jolly Ranchers, powdered sugar, and Robitussin DM."
We only got through 3 bottles before we couldn't bear it any longer. We quit, but it had been a beautiful ride. And now that it's over, every other video game and booze, along with dead leaves dangling on trees and the scent of the wintry Chicago air all seem that much more beautiful. If you need a life-affirming experience, or if you hate yourself, I highly recommend this pairing.

It Done Happened

2012-01-24T20:53:00.001-08:00

We played our E.T. tonight. We drank our Night Train. While I would love to elaborate, at this particular moment I feel slightly less than eloquent. Tomorrow, God willing, I will regale you all with the epic tale of this tragicomical pairing.

Brewing Up a Delicious Pairing for Skyrim

2012-01-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Not just any pairing will do for a game like Skyrim. Today I brewed five gallons of an ale inspired by English Milds and Belgian Abbey Dubbels. It should be ready to drink in a couple weeks. If anyone out there cares, here's the recipe:

For 5.5 gallons:

6 lbs. Briess Pale Ale Malt
1 lb. Vienna Malt
1 lb. Special B
1/2 lb. Aromatic Malt

Mashed at 153 degrees for 60 minutes

1 oz. Hallertauer hops (3.2% AA) @ 60 minutes
1 oz. Hallertauer hops (3.2% AA ) @ 20 minutes
1/2 lb. Belgian Soft Brown Candi Sugar @ 10 minutes

Original Gravity = 1.040

It should come out to about 4% abv. Perfect for playing hours and hours of Skyrim.

Skyrim

2012-01-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

The USPS finally found the goodness in their heart to deliver Skyrim to me. I've been playing it quite a bit, though I feel like I've only begun to scratch its surface. I don't really like playing video games for more than a couple hours straight. It makes me tired and cranky. Suffice to say, I've been pretty tired and cranky over the last few days.

I've drank various booze with Skyrim without really attempting to come up with a perfect pairing. The most exciting was a 2001 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde. Old world red wines are usually decent companions for fantasy games, and I did enjoy playing Skyrim while sipping this tasty Northern Rhone Syrah. But for my ultimate pairing, I have something more ambitious in mind. I'm going to brew a mild ale inspired by both British milds and Belgian abbey dubbels to drink with this game. I may serve it out of an oak cask, although I might be too lazy to clean my oak cask (I do have an oak cask, in case that's not clear). It will take a couple of weeks for the beer to be ready, but I'm pretty sure Skyrim will keep me occupied until well past that point in time.

Uncharted 3 with Anchor Porter

2012-01-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

While waiting impatiently for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to arrive, I took it upon myself to play through Uncharted 3. I paired Uncharted 2 with Sierra Nevada's Ovila Saison back in August, and it worked nicely. Before deciding on a booze for the third game in the series, I played it for a few hours to get a feel for it.

Uncharted 3 is quite similar to Uncharted 2. It features a combination of parkour and gun-battles, somewhat witty dialogue, and a predictable plot-line reminiscent of Indiana Jones movies. It is consistently entertaining, if not revolutionary. It also can be quite challenging at times. I tried pairing a delicious 2007 Col dei Venti Barbaresco with the game, and even though it made me feel classy as I rode on a horse while firing off rocket-propelled grenades, it dulled my reflexes and distracted me with its sensual flavors of baked plum, earth, and spice. No, it's dried cherry-cinnamon aroma and long, complex finish could not help Nathan Drake save the day. I needed something more sensible, so I turned to one of my favorite beers of all-time.

Anchor Brewing, and Anchor Porter in particular, have strongly influenced my own approach to brewing beer. I love the occasional Bourbon barrel-aged IPA-Tripel, but I find more artistry in down-to-earth beers that harmoniously showcase the subtle nuances of their ingredients. Anchor Porter would fall into this category. It has a roasty aroma of coffee and cocoa. It is dry, with robust malt character, well-integrated bitterness and a slight hoppy twang. It's long, bittersweet finish is not something that jumps out at you, but when reflected upon, it is a thing of beauty.
When I finally got around to trying out this pairing, I was near the end of the game. I was determined to complete it in one last sitting. I poured my beer, and with my delicious companion on the table in front of me, proceeded to take care of business. Like fine wine matched successfully with great food, Anchor Porter did not overpower Uncharted 3, but enhanced it. I recommend this pairing to anyone who likes things that are good.

Salt-Peter Sausages

2012-01-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

I want to bring to everyone's attention Salt-Peter Sausages, a wonderful blog written by my good friend Peter. Peter shares inventive sausage recipes on a regular basis, illustrated with beautiful photographs of his savory creations. Check it out!

2012

2011-12-30T22:19:00.000-08:00

The new year approaches, and though I am not one to believe in any non-nuclear visions of the apocalypse, I find my very being vibrating with a sense of impending doom. Today I received an email from Gamefly entitled "We've Shipped: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim." Thanks to the efficiency of the USPS, I still have two to three business days before my life is stolen from me. When I was fifteen years old, my life was taken for a summer by a beast known as Final Fantasy VII. When I was 22, I became enraptured with another devil known as World of Warcraft for six solid months. I'm 28 now, and I fear that a new game will steal my life for a period of time longer than is respectable. Skyrim approaches. My question is not which booze to pair with it, but whether there is enough booze to last its duration. And also how I'm gonna pay for it after I get fired for playing Skyrim instead of going to work.

My Friends Are Awesome

2011-12-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Last night my wonderful friends Carl and Ann Marie gave me this t-shirt that they picked up at Wormhole Coffee on Milwaukee Ave. Given my blog's logo and my last pairing, I thought it would be appropriate to post a picture of it.


Awesome.

Thanks Carl and Ann Marie!

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn with Metropolis Coffee Company's Falstaff Winter Blend

2011-12-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

I was excited when I received Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn in the mail a few weeks ago. Several years ago, I played through its predecessor, Path of Radiance, and had a great time doing it. The original Fire Emblem dates back to 1990, and was released only in Japan for the Famicom. Among the most revered turn-based strategy games ever created for consoles, the Fire Emblem series is known for its high difficulty level. Radiant Dawn has you leading an ever-evolving party into battle after battle. If a character dies, they die, and that's that. The enemy AI is ruthless, and making the simplest mistake often times means losing a battle. I remember Path of Radiance as being challenging, but it did not prepare me for the frustrations that Radiant Dawn delivers. The game requires a great amount of concentration.

I beat the first level of Radiant Dawn after failing only once or twice. Then playtime was over. I probably died 12-15 times on the second stage, and things only got worse after that. I was at a loss for what to pair with it, but I happened to come into possession of a bottle of Orin Swift's The Prisoner, a red blend from Napa that lovers of Californian wine seem to go nuts over. The Prisoner is little more jammy, oaky and boozy than I care for, although it did go nicely with a wedge of Colston Bassett Stilton. Well over 15% ABV, The Prisoner failed to help me focus on strategy, and I don't think I beat a single level while drinking it.

Following this frustrating experience, I shelved Radiant Dawn for a while. However, I ended up feeling guilty, and being stuck at home sick this morning, I decided to give it one last chance. Because I was sick and it was before noon, drinking booze was not an option. It occurred to me that (dare I say it?) delicious coffee might actually be a better pairing for the game anyway. So I brewed up a French press of Metropolis Coffee Company's Falstaff Winter Blend, and with fear in my heart, I fired up Radiant Dawn.

Falstaff Winter Blend is a nicely balanced, medium-roast blend. Metropolis does not divulge the origin of Falstaff's beans on their website, unfortunately. It is full-bodied with a subtle chocolatey, nutty aroma and delicious notes of mature plum (that's what those of us in the booze industry call prune). After a few sips of the coffee, I felt reasonably alert and proceeded to vanquish my enemy with relative ease. The level I beat had given me some trouble in the past, and my spirits were greatly heightened after finishing it. I immediately took on the next stage, which proved to be extremely difficult. On my fourth try, I lost the battle because some NPC's on the other side of the map from my party failed to fight off the enemy. This very large and heavy straw broke the camel's back, possibly in several places. The fraction of Radiant Dawn that I played through was a humbling experience, but unfortunately, I don't come close to having the patience to play through it. Some might call me a quitter for drinking stuff that's not booze with this game. Some might call me a quitter for quitting. But at least I'm a caffeinated quitter.

Sky Kid with Rum and Cokes

2011-12-10T09:51:00.001-08:00

My brother, John, came up from Normal, Illinois the other day to look for an apartment closer to civilization. But finding a place to live was not his only mission. No, he suggested that we find a pairing for Sky Kid, everybody's favorite backwards-side-scrolling biplane shooter for the NES. Sky Kid has you flying right-to-left, which is strange, but one gets used to it. The game involves dodging the bullets and shells of planes, boats, and artillery while picking up bombs and dropping them on enemy fortresses.

Oh, but how Sky Kid takes me back! Back to the day after Christmas in 1988. The day before, John and I had struck gold. Santa had dropped off a small television and an I.O.U. for a Nintendo Entertainment System. Apparently even Mr. Claus himself couldn't track down the ragingly popular video game system. It was a rough 24 hours, but the next day my father (acting as an agent for Santa, of course) tracked one down. From my own experiences tracking down a Wii, I can only imagine the relief that he felt. This relief was short-lived, as I recall, because upon bringing the Nintendo home and opening its box, we discovered that unlike every other system that we had heard tales of, this one did not include a Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge or a light gun. It did not include any games at all. I'm sure that the prospect of going back to the crowded shopping mall to shell out another $100 did not thrill my dad, but he did just that, and a couple hours later John and I were the proud owners of The Legend of Zelda AND Sky Kid.

In the years to come, we played both games for incalculable hours. Since Sky Kid allowed for two players to play simultaneously and was utterly impossible to beat, we probably played it much more than we played Zelda. Back then we were ignorant, and we paired Sky Kid with things like candy because we didn't know how awesome booze was. Because of John's fond memories of trying to stay up past our bedtime to eat candy and play Sky Kid, he suggested we pair it with rum and cokes.

I haven't enjoyed a rum and coke since I was a freshman in college. Not to say I haven't drank a few here and there, I just don't like drinking sugary, vanilla-y mixed drinks as much as I used to. John picked up a bottle of Kozi Bay Gold Rum from the grocery store. Upon tasting it, he readily admitted that he had made a mistake, as it was straight up nasty. Fortunately, combined with a little coke, a good amount of lime and a lot of ice, it was vaguely tolerable. So we sat down with our drinks and, courtesy of Wii's virtual console, took a boozy trip back in time.
I maintain that little kids are stupid. They don't even know how to walk straight, let alone pilot biplanes properly. However, the sheer amount of time that we put into Sky Kid back in the day must have given us a level of skill that did not come back to us instantaneously. We kind of sucked at the game. The rum and cokes help a little bit at first. The caffeine and sugar eased the tiredness I felt after a busy day at work, and the rum obviously honed my ability to fly a fighter plane. Starting over repeatedly, at first we got better. Then, a couple drinks into it, we started getting worse and not caring any more. This pairing made for a great nostalgic experience, although it might not work out that way for people who didn't spend hundreds of hours playing Sky Kid in their youth.

Thanks to my mother, father, and brother for sharing their Christmas memories.

Batman: Arkham City with a Vertical Tasting of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

2011-11-30T13:49:00.001-08:00

My most epic pairing ever has been posted on Tech.li. Check it out!

Coming Soon: Bourbon County Stout and Batman: Arkham City

2011-11-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

Every so often, a pairing comes along that is so extremely successful (or sometimes so terrible) that it leaves me without the time and/or wherewithal to write a post about it. It happens to be my birthday today, and the stars aligned for a magnificent tasting of three vintages of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, along with some Bourbon County Rare. Naturally, I drank this epic vertical alongside a nice session of Batman: Arkham City. I'll write a full post on it soon.

2009 Elderton Unoaked Chardonnay with Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos with Powers Whiskey

2011-11-02T16:24:00.001-07:00

I've always been a big fan of B-movies, and lately I've really enjoyed reading various pulp novels. People sometimes create wonderful things when they're not worried about conforming to certain ideas of quality or form. To be fair, there is also a streak of masochism in my appreciation for these things. I feel an absurd sense of accomplishment when I sit through a film like Leprechaun 4: In Space. The other night, possibly while a bit under the influence, I was browsing through Gamefly's selections and happened upon Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos. Not being a fan of the show and noting the poor reviews attached to the game, I decided that it was the obvious choice to promote to the top of my queue.

Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos (henceforth referred to as DC: SoC) takes all of the most exciting elements of the crab-fishing show that it is based on and brings them into your home in the form of mini-games. Putting crab traps (or "pots" as I now know to call them) into water? Check. Taking them back out of the water? Check. Sorting bad crabs and fish out from the good ones? Hell yes. And who can forget the throwing of crabs into a basket that swings back and forth? BUT WAIT! This last mini-game has a monkey-wrench thrown into it in the form of a crane hook that swings back and forth in front of the basket. The depth and complexity that this hook adds to DC: SoC is breathtaking. If one does not time their crab-throwing carefully enough, the crab will bounce off the hook and NOT go into the basket. Which makes the mini-game take longer to complete, which means that you've wasted that much more of your life playing this game.

As you can probably tell from the anger and sarcasm that this game inspires in me, DC: SoC put me in desperate need of a booze to uplift me from its repetitive blandness. But what alcoholic beverage would be a good match for the game's clunky design and Game Gear-quality graphics? I have written in various posts about different approaches towards pairing games and booze. Perhaps it was the lack of inspiration in the game itself that steered me toward the more superficial approach, as rather than trying to find something that might help me feel like I was in the shoes of a crab fisherperson, I chose a bottle of 2009 Elderton Unoaked Chardonnay that I thought might be good with crab.

From Australia's Barossa Valley, Elderton's Unoaked Chardonnay is simple and clean. It tastes and smells of melon and green apple. It's subtle tartness and wet stone finish make it enjoyable, if not incredibly interesting. I can see it pairing well with crab. But unfortunately, I had no real crab. I had enough virtual crabs to choke a herd of virtual camels, but no real crab at all. The wine did make the game a little more enjoyable, but it wasn't enough to make the experience bearable.

Fortunately, my good buddy Nathan had the decency to bring over a bottle of Powers Whiskey. Three shots later, and all of a sudden we were having a good time. Singing improvised songs about sorting crabs makes sorting crabs much more fun. With its rich whiskey flavor, Powers helped us go all Mary Poppins on that bad boy. Just a bunch of whiskey helps the crappy game go down, in the most delightful way. And Powers is just harsh enough to make one feel tough, as if you might belong on a crab boat after all. As for my misguided hope that Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos would be the videogame equivalent to Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, well, I'll just have to keep searching.

Mega Man 5 with Ockenheimer St. Jakobsberg Silvaner Eiswein

2011-10-26T08:41:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, sometimes I come up with pairings that just plain suck. Head on over to http://tech.li/2011/10/mega-man-5-ockenheimer-st-jakobsberg-silvaner-eiswein/ to check out my latest review.

Little Big Planet 2 with Russian River Blind Pig IPA

2011-10-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Having gotten my hands on a Playstation 3 only in the last year, I find myself playing a lot of sequels to games that I have never played. The latest is Little Big Planet 2. A whimsical 2D platformer, LBP2 gives players control of Sackboy, a comical little creature made of burlap that can be dressed up in a diverse array of costumes. The game draws on quite a few classic video game influences, from Mario and Sonic to Gradius and even World of Goo. It has a goofy sense of humor that I imagine appeals to children, but like World of Goo, it also has a subtle darkness to it that at times gets downright creepy.

I didn't have any bright ideas for what to pair with LBP2, but fortunately my father kindly sent a bottle of Russian River's Blind Pig IPA my way. Blind Pig is a deep golden ale with a rocky white head that left lacing all the way down the glass. It smells strongly of piney, citrusy hops and just a touch of honeyed malt. It tastes strongly of grapefruit, with a light touch of graininess and a hint of caramel.

While not the most wacky or original pairing I've come up with, I did really enjoy this one. LBP2 and Blind Pig are both fun, well-crafted products that are a pleasure to consume. Having them together made me happy.

Crabs

2011-10-11T03:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes being under the influence causes us to do things that we later regret. While my more juvenile readers get their minds out of the gutter, I'll explain that the other night, while drinking whiskey, I took it upon myself to edit my Gamefly queue. I still can't explain the impulse that caused me to order Deadliest Catch: Seas of Chaos, but I did, and it's currently on its way. I think I thought it would be funny. And it might be, but I'm going to need to come up with something great to pair with it. Suggestions are welcome.

A Treasure Trove of Old-Ass Games

2011-10-06T13:56:00.001-07:00

My good friends Sarah and Gilad were kind enough to give me their Atari, along with a couple dozen games. I'll have fun coming up with pairings for these. I have something great in mind for E.T., which is commonly considered the worst game of all time.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma with Ayinger Oktober Fest - Märzen

2011-10-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

While watching me play Ninja Gaiden Sigma, a friend commented that he rarely sees me getting so angry when playing video games. His observation was accurate. I'll yell at the TV a lot no matter what game I'm playing, but I find this one to be particularly frustrating. It may be the only reboot of a classic series that is harder than its NES counterpart. The game stars Ryu, a ninja who kills a lot of people for some reason. The original Ninja Gaiden was applauded for its cut-scenes that added depth to its narrative. Ninja Gaiden Sigma (which I'm playing on Playstation 3), is a step backwards from this. I have no idea what is going on or why I'm doing the things I'm doing.

Ninja-fighting is awesome, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma can be pretty fun at times. Dicing up enemy soldiers with katanas gives me some satisfaction, but it never takes me long before I start dying. And while I respect the game's developers for giving gamers some old-school punishment, sitting through 5 minutes of load screens every time I die makes things get boring fast. Fortunately, the good lord gave us a delicious cure for boredom called beer.

I chose to drink Ayinger's Oktober Fest - Märzen while playing Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Getting my ass kicked over and over makes me thirsty, and I thought a reasonably light lager would be appropriately refreshing. The beer is deeply golden in color. It as an aroma of fresh bread and toast with subtle notes of almonds and golden raisins. It is amazingly smooth. Pleasantly malty, it has a subtle sweetness with faint traces of iron.
Every beer I've ever had from Ayinger has been the best beer I've ever had in its respective style. Their Oktoberfest is no exception. I think that it went great with Ninja Gaiden Sigma, but probably just because I like it so much. So let that be a lesson to us all. If you force yourself to play a shitty game in order to drink booze with it so you can write about it on the internet, drink booze that you like a lot so that the experience isn't entirely terrible.

Heavy Rain and a Big Glass of Vodka

2011-09-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

My monthly contribution to Tech.li just got posted here. It's a review of my pairing of Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain with a glass of vodka. Check it out!

Mass Effect 2 with a Bunch of Pink Wines

2011-09-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

Continuing my trend of writing about sequels to games that I have not played, today's pairing features BioWare's Mass Effect 2. BioWare has been responsible for some of my favorite video games of all time, particularly the Baldur's Gate series. Mass Effect 2 is a sci-fi-themed action-RPG. In the role of Commander Shephard, the game has you fly around the universe recruiting party members for a dangerous assault on a group of aliens that threatens to destroy all organic life.

Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games I have played in a long time, and possibly the most engrossing RPG I've played since Final Fantasy VII. I wanted to find a good pairing for it. Sci-fi games always give me trouble when it comes to figuring out a good booze to drink with them. In the past, I had success drinking a Penedes white wine while playing as the Protoss in Starcraft II. One of my earliest experiments for this blog was to pair Mega Man 2 with a German Riesling Kabinett. This also worked well. Keeping this in mind, I decided to try drinking a rosé with Mass Effect 2. In the game, you can actually go to the bar in your ship's lounge and pour yourself glasses of pink liquid. I took this as a good sign that my pairing would work well.
But why pair a game with one booze when you can pair it with three? My good buddies Nathan and Paul joined me, each bringing a rosé of their own. I supplied a 2010 Muga Rosado, Nathan brought a 2008 Castillo de Jumilla Monastrell Rosado, and Paul submitted a 2010 Les Acanthes Tavel Rosé. The Muga is a pale salmon. It tastes of tart cherry and strawberry, with some floral notes on the nose. It possesses a shimmering acidity that drives a nice, stoney finish. The Jumilla and Tavel are both a bit darker and bolder. The Jumilla smells of raspberries and tastes of cherry and prune. It is a bit juicier and chalkier than the Muga. The Tavel is the sweetest of the three, though it has a reasonably dry finish. With more body and less acidity, it contains pleasant notes of strawberry jam.
I would enjoy playing Mass Effect 2 with any booze known to man. Pink wines made for a particularly good accompaniment, as I can drink them for several hours without severely damaging either my intellect or my motor skills. And after drinking enough of them in the presence of my friends who share my adolescent sensibilities, the wines helped me to remember the true goal of Mass Effect 2: Trying to score with sexy aliens.

Uncharted 2 and Sierra Nevada Ovila Saison: The First of My Contributions to Tech.li

2011-08-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

I recently met a gentleman named Edward Domain. We both happened to be enjoying fine craft beer at one of Chicago's fine drinking establishments, and we got to talking about our websites. Mr. Domain founded Tech.li, a website dedicated to putting the spotlight on tech-related innovation and entrepreneurship. I told him about this blog, and he asked if I would want to contribute a monthly article to his site. I couldn't turn down a chance to further spread the gospel of conscientiously pairing video games with booze. The first of my reviews for Tech.li was posted here this morning. Check it out!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

2011-08-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

I started playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a couple days ago. As I've mentioned before, I like to play through a good chunk of a game before I pick a booze that I'm going to pair it with. That's not to say that I don't drink any booze at all while I'm playing through the early stages of a game. I just like to get a feel for the game in order to help me choose a suitable booze. That rhymed! Anyway, I haven't had any great ideas yet, so chime in if you have any suggestions.

L.A. Noire and Leopold Brothers American Small Batch Whiskey and Redemption Rye

2011-08-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

This post has been a long time coming. It took me a while to get my hands on L.A. Noire, and like with most epic games I discuss on this blog, I wanted to get into the meat of it before I reviewed a pairing. Tonight I finally sat down with two fine American whiskies to investigate their pertinence to L.A. Noire.

Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire looks like a sandbox game, though it is fairly linear. You are put in the shoes of Cole Phelps, a veteran of the Second World War and a rookie detective for the Los Angeles Police Department. The game has you investigate crime scenes, interview witnesses, interrogate suspects and fight the occasional gun battle. Set in the late 1940's, the game does an amazing job creating an immersive environment. The music, graphics, and script all draw heavily on historical fact. The game is dark, and many of the crimes that Cole investigates are on the grizzly side. Grizzly crimes call for strong booze.

I had a bit of Leopold Brothers American Small Batch Whiskey on my shelf. I also had a bit of Redemption Rye. The Leopold Bros. whiskey is based on pre-prohibition recipes for America's favorite liquor. This struck me as being inappropriate for a game inspired by the noir genre. Noir is characterized largely by post-war disillusionment. After World War II, the liquor industry was not purveying pinnacles of craftsmanship. Characters is Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett novels drink bourbon, and sometimes rye. Redemption Rye, therefore, may have been a more historically appropriate choice, but since I only had a little of it left, and since LBASBW tastes pretty damn good, I decided to try them side-by-side while playing through a case called "Manifest Destiny."
L.A. Noire drives players through scenery both shocking and mundane. An analogy of Jekyll and Hyde may be a bit dramatic, but the two whiskies I drank with the game exhibited a similar polarity. LBASBW smells of black tea, prune and pear. It is not exactly mellow at 86 proof but it is well-balanced. It is distilled from corn and rye, and a subtle graininess comes through, along with a faint hint of confectioner's sugar. Redemption Rye is a substantially more brash whiskey. It smells spicy, and it tastes spicier. Clove, nutmeg and cinnamon dominate this rye. A bit of pear and citrus come through, but this is a 92 proof whiskey that burns the tongue. Neither of these whiskies has the degree of toasty vanilla that bourbons do. I liked them both, though I especially appreciated the more balanced LBASBW.
I'm not sure I've ever had a whiskey that wouldn't go well with L.A. Noire. For most of the case that I played through while researching this post, I preferred drinking the Leopold Bros. But towards the end of it, the action heated up, and the plot started twisting in surprising ways. At that point I started to reach for the stronger stuff. The combination of whiskies helped me develop a new strategy during gun battles that I call "Always empty your entire clip when you shoot at someone." It works pretty well.
In conclusion, whiskey is good.

People Who Know What's Up

2011-08-01T22:13:00.001-07:00

Some people know what's up. Some people don't. My man Kesith at Kesith's Gaming Rants wrote a post on drinking Dogfish Head's Chateau Jiahu while playing Chrono Trigger. Kesith know what's up. Another person who knows what's up is my man Erik, who recorded my band playing at the Red Line Tap back in June. We've just posted three tracks from the show here. It's got little to do with video games, although it does have something to do with booze.

L.A. Noire

2011-07-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've finally got my hands on L.A. Noire, and it's pretty awesome. It's like Grand Theft Auto mixed with a Raymond Chandler novel. Last night a couple friends stopped by with a bottle of Redemption Rye to check it out. It made for a lovely time. The whiskey went well with the game. I'm going to do further research and write a more lengthy post in a few days.

GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony with Vodka Tonics

2011-07-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Given the horrifyingly homophobic nature of the online gaming community that I was exposed to during my six month addiction to World of Warcraft back in 2006, I was a bit surprised when Rockstar decided to title their second and final Grand Theft Auto IV expansion "The Ballad of Gay Tony."

The Ballad of Gay Tony puts one in control of Luis Lopez, the business partner, bodyguard and all around right-hand man of Tony Prince, a.k.a. "Gay Tony," the owner of the largest chain of nightclubs in Liberty City. I don't want to over-analyze the sociopolitical implications of this game. It does contain its share of homosexual stereotypes. I believe that the game developers were striving for a message of tolerance by means of featuring gay characters whose sexualities are not the most prominent part of their personalities. I'm not sure how much they succeeded.

To gracefully segue from a serious issue to one that is most absurd, I needed a drink to pair with GTA4:TBoGT. The game involves managing nightclubs, which includes dancing and taking shots with customers. It also involves a whole bunch of missions where Luis agrees to accompany a character to casual meetings that quickly devolve into gunfire and explosions. My first thought was to drink vodka-Red Bulls, but because I hate energy drinks, and because I have to sleep sometimes, I decided on vodka tonics.

I used Svedka vodka and Canada Dry tonic, with a slice of lime. I generally prefer gin with tonic, but for this occasion, vodka seemed very much appropriate. While gin has a pleasant, fruity, floral bouquet, vodka has a more stark, antiseptic quality. This particular drink struck me as particularly analogous to the nature of a dance club, where aesthetic distractions are employed to mask the basic instincts that underlie. And this is not so different from Grand Theft Auto IV, in which a glossy interface allows the player to enact frightening acts of violence upon innocent people, should they choose to do so. I enjoyed the vodka tonics that I drank along with The Ballad of Gay Tony, and I believe that they added to my gameplay experience. I recommend this pairing.

Wow.

2011-07-09T23:36:00.001-07:00

I found this on Youtube, and I wanted to share it with the world. Sp0ntanius here has some serious talent. Also check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j51CIOcdFY0.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 with 2008 Murphy-Goode Pinot Grigio

2011-07-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

Many months ago, I met a man who makes wine for Murphy-Goode Winery. When I met him, his arm was in a cast. He enthusiastically explained that his injury occurred in the course of escorting his children to the local playground a few nights prior to our meeting. Just like parents do in Chicago, this Californian vintner was escorting his children to the playground while riding a skateboard, with a glass of Pinot Grigio in his hand. Unfortunately, at some point he bit it, and while he was able to preserve most of his glass of wine, his arm was not so lucky.

A while after meeting this man, I happened upon a bottle of 2008 Murphy-Goode Pinot Grigio. I knew that I had to pair it with some sort of skateboarding game. Old school games like Skate or Die! were tempting, but in the end, I went with my gut instinct. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 provided me with endless hours of entertainment when I was in high school. While Pinot Grigio might not be the first drink that comes to mind when conceptualizing pairings for this game, it was my god-given duty to try it out.

After literally dusting off my Gamecube controller and plugging it into my Wii, I booted up Tony Hawk 3 and, as always, was greeted with Motörhead's Ace of Spades. Oh hell yes. I was immediately swept away into wonderful memories. Memories of dominance. See, the thing is, I used to be, for lack of more polite verbiage, fucking ill at Tony Hawk 3. While I worked through the game's menus, I started to worry that perhaps I was no longer quite so ill at Tony Hawk 3. These worries proved to be unfounded. I'm still so ill at Tony Hawk 3 that the Beastie Boys are rolling over in their graves, concerned that their favorite adjective can't possibly do justice to the degree to which I wreck shit in this game.
It took me about 30 seconds to get my feel back for the game. The kickass soundtrack featuring The Ramones, Motörhead, KRS-One, Reverend Horton Heat, Del the Funky Homosapien kept me continuously pumped as I navigated old but familiar landscapes on my skateboard. At one point, it occurred to me that the music in the game was almost too good. I then stopped to think about how old the game is (it was released in 2001), and this made me feel so very old that I stopped worrying about it.
But y'all didn't navigate yourselves to videogamesandbooze.blogspot.com to hear the sentimental drippings of a nostalgic 27 year old. You came for my unbelievably sound advice on what to drink when you play video games. The Murphy-Goode Pinot Grigio was tasty. A hearty body was accompanied by a pleasantly floral nose, flavors of green apple, lemon zest, and pineapple, with a somewhat spicy, minerally finish. I enjoyed this wine with this game, although I can't really explain why. White wine doesn't do as much damage to my gaming skills as certain other boozes do. I also could have been drinking straight ethanol and I probably still would have torn Tony Hawk 3 apart. In any case, I recommend this pairing, 'cause why the hell not?

GTA IV: The Lost and Damned with Good Ol' Jim Beam

2011-06-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a cowboy/ On a steel horse I ride/ And I'm wanted (wanted!)/ Dead or alive.
~ John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.

The words transcribed above not only evoke feelings that I have felt all too powerfully while filling the shoes of Johnny Klebitz, anti-hero of Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, but they are indeed also found in a song that is included in the game's soundtrack. Riding around Liberty City on a chopper, listening to motorcycle-relevant songs and sipping whiskey makes a lot of sense. I'll earnestly disclaim that drunken driving is disgusting and terribly irresponsible. But whipping around the most beautifully-rendered virtual city that I've ever seen while loaded off straight cheap whiskey is really fun.

The first of the two GTA IV expansions has been decent thus far. Our hero, Johnny, is not as interesting or as sympathetic as Niko Bellic, the star of the original. But it's hard to go wrong with a biker-gang theme in the world of Grand Theft Auto. I won't waste our time over-analyzing the game, or even this pairing. Jack Daniels seems like something that the violent criminals in this game might drink, but due to a bad experience I had at a young age, and also due to my possession of taste buds, I'm not about to spend my money on that monstrosity.

No, a situation like this called for Good Ol' Jim Beam. Known for being the official whiskey of The Bomb Sawyers, it's also a great pairing for games involving motorcycle gangs. Playing GTA IV sober, I sometimes feel sad when I accidentally maim pedestrians or shoot dozens of innocent bystanders. Drinking straight Kentucky Bourbon, with it's hot honey-vanilla goodness, gives me the peace of mind to keep on going, regardless of the civilian death toll.

I'm looking forward to the second GTA IV expansion game: The Ballad of Gay Tony. I swear I'm going to get to my Tony Hawk/Pinot Grigio pairing soon. And there's still my Faxanadu/Mead pairing and Portal 2/Night Train pairings to look forward to. God help me.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 with a Delicious Martini(s)

2011-05-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

I've had Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 in my Wii for about a month now, and it's been a roller coaster ride. I was terrible at it at first, then I got better, then I hurt my back. I don't know whether I hurt it from lifting a lot of heavy boxes at work or by playing Tiger Woods, but it made playing the game a lot less fun. Then my back got better, and then I got even better at the game, but then my virtual opponents got better, and I was back to sucking. For the sake of my back, and because L.A. Noire and Portal 2 are next in my Gamefly queue, I decided to play one last round tonight and mail it on back.

I've never played golf in real life, and if I did I'm not sure what I would drink. While golf is a particularly civilized sport, I didn't feel like sipping on a dainty beverage between shots. As far as I can tell, golf is about two things: Being classy and getting wasted. So what could be more perfect than a martini?

I made my martini with 1 part Martini and Rossi dry vermouth, 6 parts highly-underrated Seagram's gin, and a splash of pickle juice. I can do without vermouth when I have fancy gin, but I'm not exactly John D. or Catherine T. MacArthur. I used a pickle garnish, cuz that's how I roll. This all makes for a mildly sweet, slightly salty, and deliciously savory martini. I sipped it intermittently throughout the tragedy that unfolded over 18 holes, and it really helped me along. I maintained par for the front 9, but things fell apart after that. Gin is great in these situations. While whiskey angers up my blood, gin affects my spirit more gently. If I had been sucking down Manhattans, I might have thrown my Wiimote through the window when I quadruple-bogeyed on the 18th hole. However, thanks to my martini, I merely spoke the word "fuck" aloud at a modestly high volume.

COMING SOON: L.A. Noire with Leopold Bros. Whiskey, Faxanadu with Wild Blossom Mead, Mega Man X with something, Portal 2 with Night Train!!!!!!

God of War 3 with Highway 78 Scotch Ale and Hellhound On My Ale

2011-05-14T21:15:00.001-07:00

It's been way too long since I've posted. I've been busy rocking out with my band and brewing beer and figuring out the logistics of starting a brewpub, and I've severely neglected playing video games. Sure, I've gotten in a good amount of Madden and Tiger Woods golf, but I haven't had the energy to research any particularly interesting pairings. Fortunately, I had no pressing engagements today, and I found myself starting up God of War 3 for the first time. And then I played it for 10 hours.
Playing God of War 3 for 10 hours in a day is exhausting. I can't even count how many people I ripped in half and disemboweled. I beheaded Helios, belegged Hermes, and pounded Hercules' face into mush. I had never played a God of War game before today, and I found it disgusting, but entertaining. I clearly didn't find it overly objectionable, as I only stopped playing to eat and to go buy booze to pair with it.

It's not that I really loved the game all that much. It's pretty fun, and it's certainly well-paced, but mostly I was determined to do nothing productive today, and the game helped me to achieve that. God of War 3 builds on the story from God of War and God of War 2. This story is complicated and pointless. The real point of God of War 3, and I can only assume the first two entries in the series, is to whoop ass all the time. Our antihero, Kratos, is determined to kill Zeus, and nothing is going to stand in his way. A lot of things try to stand in his way, but they get whooped in the ass. That's a really polite way of saying that they get shredded by large blades attached to long chains. It's kind of like the newer Prince of Persia games, but with a little less platforming action and a lot more blood and evisceration.
I was tempted to get something Greek to drink with this game. If my local booze shop had had a red Greek wine, I probably would have bought it. But they only had a white Greek wine, and that hardly seems hardcore enough for God of War 3. I would have bought some ouzo, but thankfully they didn't have it. I do like ouzo, but if I had drank it while playing God of War 3 my brain might have exploded. Instead of going with Greek booze, I went out on a limb and got a couple of limited-release beers that I thought could work.

The first beer I opened was a collaborative effort from brewers from Stone, Green Flash, and Port Brewing. As is noted on the bottle, it is surprising that the three of the hop-happiest breweries in the world would collaborate to make a malt-focused beer. Highway 78 is a Scotch ale, and it is strong and delicious. It has a wonderful raisiny maltiness up front, a bit of yeasty breadiness in the middle, and a long, relatively dry finish. It made me feel like Braveheart, which is a good thing to feel like when one is playing God of War 3. Highway 78, like the game, is pretty intense. They were a good match for each other.
The other beer I opened, Dogfish Head's Hellhound On My Ale, is also intense. I almost followed up that last sentence by saying "Intensely shitty," but I try to reserve hyperbole for positive commentary. The beer is not intensely shitty, but it does not do justice to its stated purpose, which is to serve as a tribute to Robert Johnson on the 100th anniversary of his birth. It's a double IPA with some lemon thrown in as a nod to Blind Lemon Jefferson. This is stupid, and makes no sense. I'm not sure exactly what kind of beer would be most fitting to honor a Delta blues legend, but I'm sure that it is not a double IPA with lemon. If Hellhound On My Ale was extremely delicious, I might be persuaded otherwise, but it is a hot mess. It tastes like alcohol, with a lot of hops, and a little too much sugar. There's a little lemon in there as well, which only accentuates the overpowering booziness of this beer.

Fortunately, hot boozy beers aren't so very bad when one is playing God of War 3. I could have been drinking shots of cheap vodka or Night Train and it probably would have worked. Hellhound On My Ale was powerful, so it was appropriate. Adding to this appropriateness was the fact that over the course of my day I ripped many heads off of many many-headed hellhounds. Take that Cerberuses.
I was going to write a special post to mark the one year anniversary of The Art of Pairing Video Games with Booze, but then I forgot. Anyway, it's been over a year now and I've reviewed over 30 pairings. At times I thought I would run out of ideas, but more keep coming to me. Keep checking back, because we still have a lot of important things to learn together. Important things about life. And video games. And booze.

Mega Man 2 by The Greatest Bits: A Boozical Review

2011-04-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Like a beautiful tree, The Art of Playing Video Games and Booze must sometimes branch out in new and wonderful directions. A while back The Greatest Bits, a self-described "Dutch dj/producer inspired by video games from the 80's and 90's" sent me a copy of his latest album "Mega Man 2." The Greatest Bits describes his Mega Man 2 album as "'chiptune crossover' style, combining 8-bit retro-style sounds with real instruments of the 21st century." It consists of remixes of the 13 songs found in the various levels (and intro and credits) of Mega Man 2. The original versions found in the game are awesome. It is clear that composer Takashi Tateishi set out to create excellent music, as opposed to excellent 8-bit video game music. The quality of music found in NES games varies wildly, and Tateishi's makes the bulk of it look pathetic compared to his work.

In his Mega Man 2 album, The Greatest Bits fleshes out and the game's score. Drums and guitar enhance the already-rocking music that has driven me to the defeat of Dr. Wiley so very many times. Multitudes of effects are employed and songs are re-sequenced to accentuate their grooves and elevate their dramatic dynamics. But let's get down to the details about some individual tracks. Tiana, who you all know from Smoking Zora and my own ultimate Super Metroid live-blog experience, stopped by to weigh in on Mega Man 2. I had previously asked The Greatest Bits what kind of booze I should drink while listening to his album. He recommended beers from Leffe, Westmalle, Grimbergen, and La Chouffe, along with any good hefeweizen. I wanted to pick up some Ommegang Gnomegang, a collaboration between Brasserie D'Achouffe and Ommegang, but I did my shopping at the last minute. The closest I could get was Ommegang Belgian Pale Ale, which I felt was reasonably similar in style to some of the beers suggested by TGB.

I gotta say, sipping on a delicious beer and listening to this album was substantially more relaxing than playing through a video game as quickly as possible (although I did do this at one point in my research in this post. I'll explain later). Tiana and I cranked up the stereo, and scribbled out some notes on individual tracks. "Airman" was her "#1 choice of soundtrack for drag-racing down a Florida highway" and made her feel like she WAS Mega Man. TGB's "Metalman" remix increased the song's intensity, and gave it a catchier beat. "Woodman" sounded more ominous and anxious than ever before, giving me the feeling that I really was plunging head-first through a forest filled with robotic spiders and bunny rabbits armed with only my trusty Mega Buster, Metal Blade, Atomic Fire, Crash Bombs, Bubble Lead, Quick Boomerang, Air Shooter, and Flash Stopper.
"Bubbleman" may have been my favorite track of all. TGB's version sounded rich and waterier than ever. I mean that sincerely, in case you doubted me. Tiana thought that listening to "Flashman" was like robo-tripping (she would know), and that she could probably "kill some @#$*&@#*$&^" while listening to "Quickman." I agreed. "Dr. Wiley Stage 1-2" was rocking off the charts (I love flangers), as was "Ending Theme."
As part of my review of this album, I played through MM2 in the order that The Greatest Bits has arranged his tracks. The game lets you play through stages in whichever order you like, and depending on how you do it, different weapons that are collected throughout the game can or cannot be used against certain enemies. I did not enjoy trying to play through Crashman's stage before defeating Metalman and obtaining Metal Blade. Stupid birds kept knocking me down ladders. Other than that, there were no glaring problems with the order of levels that the album presents, although it is not how I would have done it. I was at least very glad that Airman came first.
The Greatest Bits "Mega Man 2" is fun to listen to. I believe that it gives the game's music a richness and intensity that shows what it might have been like if it had been composed in the Playstation 3 era. It also makes for one hell of a rave. Everybody get your 'tussin!

Next up: I got Pinot Grigio and Skateboaring, Faxanadu and mead, and maybe one last crack at Mafia II (but probably not). But all I really wanna do is play Tiger Woods 2011. I think I'll do that right now.

A Taste of Chicago: We Did It Games's Path-O-Gen and Half Acre Beers

2011-04-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

A spotlight has been fixed on the Chicago beer scene recently. Anheuser-Busch bought Goose Island, one of the largest craft breweries in America. Goose Island played a major part in my development as a beer drinker, and I have featured their beers in several past posts. I am no fan of AB-InBev, and their acquisition of Goose Island does make me somewhat less interested in supporting what was once my Chicago brewery of choice. That said, I do not expect a decline in the quality of Goose Island's beers.
But let's change the subject. I've been wanting to do a pairing on We Did It Games's first release, Path-O-Gen, ever since it was first released a few weeks ago. We Did It Games was founded in the not-too-distant past by an old friend of mine, Wayne, and his co-founder, Gabe. Path-O-Gen is a vertical-scrolling shooter, in the spirit of such classic games as Life Force. But instead of piloting a spaceship flying through a generic outer space setting, you control Gen, an adorable pathogen, fighting her way through the body of Dick, an asshole who needs to learn a lesson.

Path-O-Gen is a wonderfully-constructed game. It is difficult. Very difficult, in fact. Befitting of its genre, it requires a balance of weaving between enemies and blasting away at them. The game's mechanics are well-executed, and it is nicely paced. Just as you learn to deal with the tricky situation at hand, something else comes along to make it trickier. Helping you along the way are some classic Gradius-style power-ups that allow you to cut through enemies like a hot knife through butter. Path-O-Gen's visuals are fantastic. The backgrounds, representing the insides of Dick, are colorfully rendered, and the various microorganisms that one battles throughout the game are remarkably expressive.
As I have already mentioned, the game is difficult. It is frustrating in the way that old-school video games were. It's unforgiving nature makes it that much more satisfying. It also makes drinking beer that much more satisfying, and I did not fail to drink beer while playing the game tonight.

I asked Wayne and Gabe what they would pair with Path-O-Gen. Wayne suggested Three Floyds' Gumballhead and Gabe recommended Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Neither of these beers were available to me last night, but I was able to get my hands on Half Acre's Gossamer, as well as their Over Ale. Gossamer drinks like a milder version of Gumballhead. It has a nice fruity aroma and a wheaty, hoppy flavor. At 4.2% alcohol by volume, it is refreshing and very much appropriate when it comes to playing video games that take a long time to master. Over Ale is a delicious brown ale. It is very well-rounded, with a pleasant roasted malt character and just enough hops to round it out. It is fairly dry, which I usually consider to be a good thing in a brown ale. While it is not as sessionable as Gossamer, it was still very enjoyable drinking it with Path-O-Gen.
I had a great time playing this game with these beers. The beer was brewed just a few miles from where I live, and the game was, at least in part, created in Chicago. The fact that I was able to put together such a good pairing from local products goes to show one thing: I'm trendy as hell, and I'm also great for the environment.

Catalunya is Awesome

2011-03-23T21:56:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting here after a hard day's work drinking a 2009 Vinos Piñol Terra Alta Ludovicus. It makes me think about how awesome Catalunya is. In 2008 I had the privilege of spending a few days in Barcelona, and it is one of the most astoundingly beautiful places I have ever visited. Delicious food, amazing paintings, and above all else, the awe-inspiring architecture of Antoni Gaudi really struck a chord with me. Barcelona was the first stop on my tour of Spain, and it took me a while to get a sense for where and when to find good food and drink. Due to this, and to the Euro being pretty strong at the time, I didn't drink much memorable Catalan wine while I was there.

The Terra Alta I'm drinking at the moment is delicious, and it brings to mind another gift that Catalunya has given to the world: Vega. Vega, of Street Fighter II fame, is not my favorite character in the game. However, I have on many occasions enjoyed performing repetitive wall jump-swan dive-body slams on opponents who found themselves helpless in my handsome, be-clawed grasp. I think that a good Priorat might be just the thing to accentuate my smugness during such a battle. Come next paycheck, I'm going to haul the old SNES up from Hyde Park, buy a bottle of Camins del Priorat, and find some sucker who insists on playing as Zangief.

Reflections on Super Metroid, Upcoming Posts, and More!

2011-03-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start out this post by thanking Tiana, and to a lesser extent, Jason, Zack, and Anonymous, for their contributions to last week's live-blogging. And thanks to everybody who tuned in to check it out. It was awesomely fun. I've played through Super Metroid in one sitting 8 or 10 times, and this was surely the most enjoyable of them all. Bells Hop Slam, Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and my own homebrew were all consumed during my destruction of Mother Brain. Out of the three, I thought that the wild ale that I brewed in December of 2009 was probably the best match for the game. The beer is along the lines of Orval. It's relatively lightness and funky flavor made it appropriate for my three-hour tour through the depths of the planet Zebes. The other beers were good, but they dulled the fantastically sharp Super Metroid-playing edge that I have honed over the years. It's not as if I died at any point (I did come close once or twice), but my skills were certainly not at their peak.

I'm excited about a few different upcoming posts. Mafia II deserves another chance with another Sicilian red. Faxanadu recently became available on the Wii Virtual Console, and I'll be giving that a whirl. I'm particularly looking forward to finding a pairing for We Did It Games's Path-o-Gen. Wayne, an old friend of mine, is one of the founders of We Did It, and I'm hoping to get his opinion on a pairing for the game.
The Art of Pairing Video Games and Booze is also going to be taking a temporary departure from its typical content to review The Greatest Bits' new album, Mega Man 2. I've asked Nanne of The Greatest Bits what to drink while I listen to the album, and I think it will make for a good evening.
I'll start tackling the above metaphorical fullback next week. In the next few nights, I'll be practicing hard for my upcoming show with The Bomb Sawyers at Miska's (2156 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago) this Saturday, March 26th. We'll be playing with Erik Cameron, Steven Gilpin, and architecture. The fun will get started around 8pm. The show is free, and it's going to rock.

Super Metroid and Bell's Hop Slam: LIVE!!!

2011-03-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome one and all to a sensational live event! I'll be playing through Super Metroid and drinking Bell's Hop Slam while Tiana blogs about it and drinks Hop Slam and Jason trolls Tiana's posts and drinks Hop Slam. Will I beat Super Metroid before I pass out from exhaustion? Will a surprise guest grace us with its rare and much-

sought-after deliciousness? Keep checking back in and find out. I'm going to hand things over to Tiana now. Live-blog away, Tiana!

----------

12:25am: finish time: 2:29. "Not a personal best by any means, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. you can quote me on that."

12:23am: adorable animals freed, which is really the whole point of this game

12:21am: Giant Metroid dies, but not before bestowing rainbow powers all over this piece. Mother Brain suffers Samus Araneurysm

12:19am: Return of the giant Metroid!

12:18am: Everybody knows she's a m****rf***king monster!

12:17am: Mother Brain freed from her fishtank

12:16am: Samus follows the path carved by the mysterious giant Metroid. All enemies have disappeared. Crateria lays silent.

12:13am: A giant Metroid grabs Samus and eats her down to the bare nub of life!

12:10am: First Metroid sighted, dealt with

12:08am: Samus runs down a misty hall of spaceship wreckage to a room where a golden statue stands. It is forged of four beasts, each with a jeweled eye. One by one, the statues crack and turn to stone. The stone sinks deep into the trembling ground....

12:05am: the numbers game: 10 energy tanks. 2 reserves. 110+ missiles. 25 super missiles. 20 super bombs. screw attack. etc.

12:02am: Today is a great day for Super Metroid.

11:58pm: In some ways, Ben feels that he's playing the game with more complete clarity than ever before.

11:57pm: If you play this game right, every five or ten minutes you get a power-up or take an elevator, which makes it in some ways the ultimate drinking game.

11:56pm: I can't even describe how smooth this one move just was so I'm not even going to try.

11:54pm: Jason describes his live-trolling as 'forsplicable.'

11:52pm: 'Power bombs don't kill people. People kill people. And Samus kills everythang.'

11:50pm: On another personal note, my right eye is getting really blurry. This live-blogging thing needs health insurance.

11:44pm: Vanquished.

11:43pm: The Chronicles of Ridley:

11:41pm: Parents, now is the time to put your children to bed, as the massacre to follow is intended for mature audiences only. Only carnage can come of this.

11:36pm: Still in Ridley's lair. Ridley's still laying low.

11:31pm: Classic Metroid switcheroo. One of those statues that's been holding your presents this.whole.time comes to life and starts bombing everything in sight! This betrayal marks the beginning of the end.

11:29pm: music gets ominous.

11:22pm: "A Mr. Shout-Out to Mr. Taco for laying a strong foundation for this game. You can quote me on that." - Ben

11:21pm: FKBS is fairly weak at 11.5%

11:20pm: space jump in tha house! 'i'll be flipping all over the place. you can quote me on that.' - Ben

11:18pm: DRAYGONNNNNNNNNNNN

11:13pm: It might be the powerful alcohol, or the trace amounts of caffeine, or the intense hit of flavor in this beer, but Ben is getting his second wind

11:10pm: We discuss the NCAA results to date. Jason has Morehead State in the Sweet Sixteen so he's acting all smug. I'm 10 out of 15 in both leagues.

11:04pm: "Damn. It must be so hard to learn a game like this that has so many secrets," Jason says. "Yeah dawg. That's why it's raw," Ben replies.

11:01pm: Ben uses the grappling beam for underwater acrobatics. Jason chastises him for his malingering.

10:58pm: FKBS is 'pretty good. Beer's pretty fresh but the coffee flavor tastes stale.'

10:57pm: Eerily silent glass tube, shattered

10:55pm: On personal note, this Wildebeest is pairing remarkably well with this slice of carrot cake.

10:52pm: Stats update - 5 energy tanks. 1 reserve. 85 missles. 10 super missles. 10 power bombs. grappling beam. charge beam. spazer. wave beam. ice beam. about to get spring ball.

10:49pm: OMG VIP! Our secret guest is revealed: Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout!!!! Released earlier today, people across the nation are straight.up.flipping.out about this beer. There's been screaming in the streets. Rending of garments. Reverence. Exctasy. This is a truly landmark moment for Video Games and Booze and indeed for the whole world, as tonight's is the first recorded pairing of FKBS with SMetroid EVER!!! Stay tuned.

10:41pm: gravity suit. heavy shit

10:38pm: Ben brainstorms other things that could go well with Super Metroid:

Boulevard Saison Brett
A nice white Bordeaux
Pisco Sour

[All consumed in moderation, of course. Drink responsibly, kids.]

10:33pm: In honor of St. Patrick's Day, it's the leprechaun video. Who all seen the leprechaun say YEAH!

10:28pm: Review of current pairing (Wildebeest): "This isn't as....exuberant...as the last one, but it's also a little lighter and more refreshing. Also, the yeast are kind of like little Metroids." - Ben

10:26pm: everybody says Phantoon is so boss, but I'm pretty sure he just got owned:

10:20pm: aaaaaand we're back in a hallway.

10:20pm: We're outside! (in the game I mean, not in real life) (but for the record Chicago was beautiful today)

10:16pm: For the record, Jason is waaaaaay worse at live-trolling than I am at live-blogging. That's not a burn. That's just truth.

10:13pm: grappling beam: so extreme.

10:09pm: Ben pops an ibuprofen. Best pairing of the evening so far.

10:04pm: while we wait: tianasaurus.blogspot.com

10:01pm: He found a way back. In the meantime, we've cracked a bottle of the Wildebeest homebrew. Reports to come.

9:59pm: oh CRAP! Ben needed some kind of super-bomb? But he forgot and went to get the grapple instead and now he's lost and doesn't know what to do. Contemplating Samus-cide as a solution.

9:56pm: Jason admits he can't troll in a vacuum.

9:56pm: MINI BOSSSSSSSSS!~~

9:52pm: Ben uses his clout as CEO of Video Games and Booze to make Jason get us more beers. Well played, Ben. Well played.

9:49pm: Ben is momentarily flustered by an enemy in the bubble chamber. Then he finds a secret passageway.

9:42pm: Fun facts (Wikipedia-styles): Super Metroid, released in 1994 by Nintendo, was the third in the Metroid series. It's also one of few early Nintendo games not designed by Miyamoto. Even after watching Ben play this game at least 4 times, I was still surprised to discover that the plot involves rescuing a baby Metroid from Space Pirates! Samus apparently imprinted on that Metroid-lette in an earlier episode? James notes that this edition includes 'strong maternal themes.'

9:35pm: They make fun of me for thinking 10% isn't that strong. In my head, I make fun of them for being wimps.

9:32pm: We consider the ABV of Hopslam. Though it tastes fairly strong, it's actually only 10%. Great for extended gaming.

9:29pm: Jason's failing his trolling duties cuz he's too busy live-trolling Ben (IRL). Latest zinger: "This is like amateur hour. Super Amateuroid."

9:24pm: WTF is a spazer that's not even a thing

9:24pm: Going down to Norfair. Gonna get some jumping boots.

9:21pm: This dude:

9:19pm: First mini-boss - that giant Venus flytrap-looking emm-effer.

9:14pm: Ben disagrees with my judgment, saying that he can sip every time he gets a power-up, which is like a built-in celebration.

9:13pm: I'd like to comment on the pairing at hand. I'm not sure any drink that requires somewhat constant attention, like a cold beer, is great for a game like this. Tooling on aliens seems to be taking a lot of Ben's attention while the beer sweats, alone, on the table.

9:07pm: Morphing Ball! And missiles!

9:03pm: "So far the pairing is working out wonderful because everything about it is wonderful. It's not the freshest Hopslam, but it was in my fridge all along. And you know. That counts for something. It preserves the flavor." - Ben

9:00pm: "Goooooooooooooooooooo!!!" - Ben

8:59pm: Hopslams are distributed. Emotions are high.

8:56pm and 30 seconds: he put it down again and walked away. So far, so thrilling.

8:56pm: Oh shit Ben just picked up his WiiMote for the first time!!!!!

8:55pm CST: Thanks Ben! I'm honored to be part of this illustrious event. I shall strive to do my best.

Mafia II and Cusumano Nero D'Avola

2011-03-16T22:42:00.001-07:00

When the scene pictured above showed up in Google Image Search, I knew it was the one for me to use in this post. Mafia II has thus far consisted of a lot of driving to Joe's house and then driving home. And then driving to Joe's house. And then driving home. And then stealing some things, and then driving to Joe's house, and then driving home. And then going to prison for 6 years, scrubbing toilets, and fighting guys in the shower in order to avoid being sodomized. I say all of this in utter seriousness. There have been a handful of occasions where I have enjoyed running around and shooting at rival mobsters, but the aforementioned "missions" have probably made up at least two thirds of the portion of the game that I have played through so far. I do admire the game for its breaks from convention, contrived as they may be.

Perhaps a less conventional pairing would have been more appropriate for a game that is, at times, surprisingly off-the-wall. I have written before about both avoiding and embracing obvious choices when pairing video games with booze, and this time I chose to embrace the incredibly obvious. Earlier tonight, when sitting down to my fourth or fifth session with Mafia II, I opened a bottle of Cusumano Nero D'Avola. This fairly ubiquitous Sicilian red has a boozy aroma of cherry hard candy. In addition to this sour fruitiness, it tastes of earth and smoke, with liberal tannic bitterness to balance it out. It reminded me that any wine that I normally wouldn't drink without food to buffer it probably shouldn't be paired with a video game unless I have food on hand to buffer it. Unfortunately, I ate all of my leftover cassoulet before I started playing Mafia II, so I was out of luck.
This pairing was obvious, though not as superficial as some that I have described in the past. Mafia II, unlike many video games, immerses the player in a relatively real and specific culture. Thematic cultural specificity in video games can be a great aid when it comes to finding worthwhile booze pairings, though it can also be a red herring. In this case, I'm afraid it was. Red wines upwards of 14% alcohol by volume usually fail to bolster my resolve when playing games that involve the occasional pressings of buttons to scrub blood out of carpets or load crates onto trucks. These activities may be important for the dedicated mafioso. But just as I prefer my stomping on turtles and traveling through plumbing to be filtered through a colorful, fun-filled interface, there are reasons why I have not tried to join the mob in real life.
I plan to keep playing through Mafia II. If I find a better pairing, I'll be sure to write about it. But there is something far more important going down on this very blog tomorrow night. For the first time, an epic video game and booze pairing will be live-blogged. It will start at 9PM CST. I hope you can make it!

Upcoming Live-Blogging Event!

2011-03-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

In order to rinse the filth of Metroid: Other M (maybe that's a little harsh) from my soul, I feel compelled to play through Super Metroid. I have done this in one sitting a few times in the past, and it's always a lot of fun. I'm going to be pairing it with Bell's Hop Slam, and maybe a second beer as well. To make this pairing even more exciting, it will be live-blogged. My friend Tiana has borne witness to my victories over Super Metroid more times than anyone else, and she'll be doing most of the actual writing. I was going to try to write and play at the same time, but that would be ridiculous. To add yet another twist (I'm totally the M. Night Shyamalan of video game and booze blogs), my good buddy Jason has volunteered to live-troll Tiana's posts. It's going to be a lot of fun, and it should be happening on Thursday night. Let's say around 9pm CST.

Farewell, Other M

2011-03-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

I tried to give Other M one last chance, but I just couldn't take it any more. It won me over a bit when a giant fire lizard quite suddenly jumped out of some lava and swallowed me whole, giving me no chance to fight my way out of its stomach. Too little, too late, unfortunately. It's on to Mafia II and Faxanadu. And booze.

Metroid: Other M with Salty Dogs

2011-03-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

The Metroid franchise is one that I hold near and dear to my heart. Super Metroid may be my favorite game of all time, and every other entry in the series that I have encountered has seemed pretty damn good as well. At least until now. I don't want to write a rambling review of Metroid: Other M. I'm not here to critique games, and I haven't even come close to finishing this one. I'll try to reserve judgement in this post.

Metroid: Other M is the most recent Metroid game. It departs from the Metroid Prime formula to bring an odd mixture of fixed-perspective semi-side-scrolling action with first-person shooting, third-person exploration, and a slew of other hyphenated descriptors. The game also gives a voice, for the first time, to Samus, one of the most revered video game heroines of all time. Apparently the tough-as-nails, take-no-shit variety of heroine is played out. It turns out that Samus is actually an introspective and vaguely whiny hero. But I'm not here to criticize. I am here to drink, and the ballsy new angle of this new Metroid game makes me want to do just that. Given my attitude towards this game and the slim pickens I had in my fridge, I decided that what we needed here were some salty dogs.

I don't think that I'd ever made a true salty dog before tonight. I shook up some Seagram's gin (I'm a high roller) and grapefruit juice and dumped it over rocks in a salt-rimmed glass. For my second salty dog I used bitters, which added a little something. The drink is refreshing and somewhat light-hearted. It eased my pain a little bit while I played through Other M. When I would get to one of the various parts of the game where the camera suddenly snaps into first-person perspective and stay there while an inexplicably paralyzed Samus scans the room for about 5-10 minutes until she finds a painfully minute clue that helps to advance the so-far tiresome plot, the salty dog was there for me. Of course, many other boozes would have been adequate in this situation. I would like to give Metroid: Other M a fair shot, but I'm not sure my liver can take it.

The New York Times Wishes It Had Thought of This First

2011-02-25T07:45:00.001-08:00

This is the at least second time since I started this blog that the New York Times has published an article on pairing booze with movies. It's only a matter of time before they come right out and talk about pairing video games and booze. Let's just hope they give credit where credit is due. I promise to post again sometime soon. I still have some Hop Slam. I'll put it to use when I get back from California. If Russian River has any arcade games at their brewpub, maybe I can piece something together while I'm out there.

A Fleeting Moment of Glory

2011-02-04T00:42:00.000-08:00

Earlier tonight I was sipping absinthe while playing Angry Birds for the first time on my friend's smartphone. I was working on the third level when his battery died, and that was that. I'm pretty sure that something good was going on there, but I want to test it more extensively before I write a formal post on it.

On An Unrelated Note

2011-01-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

My new band, The Bomb Sawyers, just released our first recordings on MySpace. Check it out: http://www.myspace.com/thebombsawyers.

Donkey Kong Country and Brasserie D'Achouffe Houblon Chouffe

2011-01-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

I recently received the following email from a reader:

Dear Ben,

I am an attractive woman in my mid-twenties, and I love your blog. I never miss a post! In your very first post, you wrote about being enraged by your friend serving Brasserie D'Achouffe's Houblon Chouffe while you were playing F-Zero X. That's my favorite beer in the world, and you still haven't told us what you would pair it with. Well?

Love,
Ms. Awesome

P.S. I think it's hot that you drink booze while you play video games!

Thank you, Ms. Awesome, for reading the blog and for taking the trouble to write to me. Since my very first post for this blog, I have debated over what to play with this beer. I did eventually find a reasonably good pairing for F-Zero X, but procrastinated when it came to finding a video game for Houblon Chouffe. Fortunately, when my fans call, I answer. On my way back from work tonight, I picked up a bottle of Houblon Chouffe. I had a plan.

Brasserie D'Achouffe's Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel is, as the label suggests, a Double IPA Tripel. I have a bit of a prejudice when it comes to Belgian-style IPAs. Hoppy beers that are fermented with Belgian yeast strains often end up tasting unpleasantly medicinal to me. I believe that a combination of hop bitterness and spicy, clove-like phenolics given off from the yeast during fermentation are the cause of this. However, there are a few examples of Belgian IPAs that I truly enjoy, and Houblon Chouffe is certainly one of them. The beer has a pale golden color. It pours with a beautiful rocky white head, and has an aroma of spicy citrus, banana and pear. It has a fairly light body and tastes of grapefruit, banana, cinnamon and a faint trace of clove. It is reasonably dry, though it does have enough sweetness to balance out a moderate bitterness. It does not have the cough-syrupy taste that tends to ruin other Belgian IPAs for me, most likely because of its restrained phenols and bitterness. It does have a nice spiciness to its flavor, but I think that this comes in part from the Saaz hops that are used in combination with the more fruity Amarillos and Tomahawks. The cinnamon spice contributed by the hops does not make the beer taste like Robitussin, but instead, like delicious. But I ramble so.
Before I got off the Chicago Ave. bus at Noble earlier tonight with the hopes that one of West Town's boutique liquor stores would have Houblon Chouffe in stock, I already knew what I would pair it with. What game is bold, sassy, exuberant and fun enough to go well with this beer? As you probably guessed from the title of this post; Donkey Kong Country for the SNES.

I grew up with Donkey Kong Country, and it has a very special place in my heart. It is a fabulous platformer by Rareware starring Nintendo's original villain, DK himself. Nintendo has never had it in their hearts to have a true bad guy in their ever-present collection of characters. Sure, a guy might breath fire at you and throw hammers at your face, but he'll also help you out on your occasional wacky journey. Like Apocalypse Now, Donkey Kong Country is a light-hearted romp through the jungle. Plush graphics and a jazzy soundtrack, along with great gameplay, make this a true classic.
Houblon Chouffe went hand-in-hand with DKC. They are both wonderfully engaging, and they don't ask that you take them too seriously. The banana notes in the beer made me feel that much closer to my mission of gathering hundreds upon hundreds of bananas, and its fresh hoppiness made me feel at home in the green jungle. I highly recommend this pairing. Thanks, Ms. Awesome, for urging me to finally try it. After all, you aren't imaginary.

Hop Slam

2011-01-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

Unless something goes wrong, tomorrow I will get my hands on a six pack of Bell's Hop Slam. I love this delicious golden nectar of the gods, and I want to pair it with something appropriate. I've thought about doing it with something classic, like the Legend of Zelda or Super Metroid. But I just can't decide. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Fallout: New Vegas with John's Homemade Jägermeister

2011-01-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

I'm no stranger to hard work, and when I found myself with a day off and an empty schedule, I knew what I had to do. It's not that I desire to start drinking early in the day. But my devotion to this blog is sincere, and I found myself firing up the old PS3 at 2:00 pm to do some research.

I've been working my way through Fallout: New Vegas for a while now. It is a first-person shooter set in post-apocalyptic Nevada. You control a character who wanders the desert, encountering various societies and armies that are vying for control of the Hoover dam. It is up to you to help them out or plot against them or simply ignore them and try to gain what you can for yourself. The plot is not stellar, but the game's characters and environments, just like in earlier Fallout games, are smartly constructed and entertaining to explore.
Since I started playing this game, I've known exactly what to pair with it, but I've never been in the mood to actually try it out until earlier today. Snow was piling up outside my windows, I was sitting in the warm glow of the television, and I knew it was time to open up my bottle of John's Homemade Jägermeister.

John's Homemade Jägermeister is not some hip liqueur found in boutique liquor stores. John is my brother, and he made his own version of Jäger at home. Now, I'm not saying that he used a water distiller to distill wine into a neutral spirit which he then flavored with over 34 different herbs and spices. That would be illegal. But what he did do, somehow, is create a magical booze that is not nearly as sweet as real Jäger. It has a complex flavor with notes of star anise, clove, cinnamon, fennel, ginger, garam masala, saffron, nutmeg, caraway, mustard seed, and so much more. Given its potency, earthy flavor, and slapdash (no offense, John) construction, it made for a wonderful companion as I roamed the brutal lands of New Vegas. If you can get yourself a bottle, I recommend you try this out.

Madden NFL 11 with Victory Prima Pils

2011-01-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not big on sports games. The last one I really enjoyed was Madden '07, and that was mostly because the Bears were ranked much higher than usual that season. However, after playing through Red Dead Redemption, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and most of Fallout: New Vegas (I'll post soon on it), I was in the mood for something different. And after receiving a Best Buy gift card for Christmas, I wanted to buy a game that I could keep coming back to for a long time.

Madden 11 is a lot like every other Madden game. It has relatively simplified controls, which I'm not liking too much so far, but it's still quite enjoyable. But I'm not going to ramble on about the game. There are some obvious pairing possibilities here, such as the Miller Lite that I would be drinking at a football stadium, the kool-aid that I would be drinking if I were actually playing in the NFL (I would add vodka), or the cheap brandy I would be drinking in the booth if I were John Madden. But these are all far from being the best options, as I'm not actually at a game, I'm not a frat boy, and I'm not a crazy old man. I'm at home, where I can sit in a comfortable chair and drink whatever I damn well please. And one thing I am frequently damn well pleased to drink is Victory Prima Pils.

While I rejected the idea of drinking Miller Lite with Madden, I did think that a delicious lager would be a great idea. Clearly only an American lager would do. And my favorite American lager of all time is Victory's Prima Pils. Prima Pils pours a deep gold with a nice fluffy head. It has a strong spicy, grassy, floral hoppiness to it that make it go hand and hand with running around a freshly-mowed virtual football field (for games on astroturf I drink 4Loko). It has some nice subtle malty notes, and overall is both refreshing and robust. I highly recommend this pairing, and will doubtlessly return to it myself before too long.

What Would Batman Drink?

2010-12-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

Having more or less finished Red Dead Redemption, I couldn't wait to start playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. It didn't take me long to get into the game, and two nights ago, sitting in my black bathrobe and feeling that I was one with Bruce Wayne, I tried out a booze pairing that was destined for success.

The game plays something like a Dark Knight-themed cross between the recent Prince of Persia games and the recent Metroid games. Being a big fan of everything I just referenced, I was bound to get sucked in. A while back, upon first hearing about this blog, my friend Tony immediately asked "Why don't you try Batman: Arkham Asylum with Goose Island Night Stalker?" I knew he was on to something, and a couple months later, I verified that his instinct for pairing video games and booze is highly developed.

Night Stalker is a monstrous imperial stout with substantial hop flavor. When I first tried it several months ago, I was impressed with how well its citrusy, piney hoppiness went with its smooth, dark roastiness. It was released last spring, and since then it has changed a bit. It still pours black as midnight on a moonless night (pretty black), but has a little more bran-like maltiness and a little less bitterness than it did before. I was glad to get to try it again, and I liked it just as well as I had before.
When I take control of the Dark Knight and stalk insane foes (who are taking performance-enhancing drugs, no less) in an insane asylum, I don't want to drink Vinho Verde. I don't want to have the shades open or the lights on or anybody talking to me. I want to envelope myself in the shadows. I want to embrace madness, for only when it becomes my closest ally can I defeat it as my greatest foe. I can truly say that Night Stalker literally helped me to achieve all of these things.
I should note that the next night I drank a Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout while playing Batman. While it is one of my favorite beers ever, its relative restraint and refinement made it much less suitable for the game than Night Stalker is. So I guess I have to find a game to go with Brooklyn BCS now.

Whiskey, Tequila, and Red Dead Redemption

2010-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

After a couple strenuous weeks of breaking horses, herding cattle, and killing almost everybody, I've finally come to the end of Red Dead Redemption. Or at least as close as I'm going to get. I could still spend dozens of hours finishing side quests and attaining higher rankings of various sorts, but I have 4 awesome games stacked on my coffee table that I need to get around to. Playing Red Dead was a lot of fun, and Old Grand-dad was certainly perfect for it.

At 100 proof, Old Grand-dad kept the hair on my chest as I fought my way through a long series of sticky (and violent) situations. Its sweet vanilla and alcoholic warmth made it a powerful companion. However, as I progressed through the game and made my way down to Mexico, I remembered that a bottle of Bracero Reposado Tequila was sitting on my liquor shelf.

Sipping straight tequila felt much more appropriate at times when I was surrounded by sandy hills and palm trees. Bracero Reposado is remarkably smooth and complex for an affordable tequila. Subtle fruit and spice make it pleasant for drinking straight up, although I also enjoyed it in a dry margarita with a pickled watermelon rind garnish.
Red Dead Redemption was a fun game to play. I very well may go back and work on some of the things I left unfinished in the game, as I feel that I raced through it without sufficiently exploring its sizable map. And if I do pick it up again, you can be sure I'll have some bourbon and/or tequila to go along with it.
Now I have to decide what to play next. I'd like to start Batman: Arkham Asylum, but I don't have the booze I want to pair with it on hand. Metroid: Other M is really tempting, but I have no idea what to drink with it. Fallout: New Vegas should be awesome, but I think I'll take a brief break from shooters. I also have Brutal Legend, but I'm not in a mood for Jäger. If any of you loyal readers want to advise me on this quandary, don't hold back.

A New Frontier...

2010-11-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I fired up my brand new Playstation 3 for the first time. I shouldn't have one. I can't afford such things. Rather than pay for it legitimately, I am trading a very rare commodity: homebrew futures. Like Rumplestiltskin, this PS3 is going to steal my babies, inasmuch as my beers are my children, which they are not.
Ever since CTA buses started carrying giant ads for it a few months ago, I've really wanted to play Red Dead Redemption. A huge percentage of my video game-playing in the last year was dedicated to Grand Theft Auto IV and Bully. I get addicted to games produced by Rockstar, and I was not surprised at all when 4 hours of RDR flew by me before I tore myself away.
I sipped on Old Grand-dad while I played, which was an obvious, yet wholly appropriate pairing. I needed something strong to accompany my first night playing the first non-Nintendo console I have ever owned. I have a feeling that Red Dead Redemption is going to last me a good long time. I'll pick up one or two other whiskeys and give them a whirl, and post my thoughts in the next week or two. Or maybe now that I have Brutal Legend and Batman: Arkham Asylum laying in wait on my coffee table, you'll never hear from me again.

Fudo Myoo Ginjo Nigori Genshu with Muramasa: The Demon Blade

2010-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to do a post on Muramasa: The Demon Blade for some time now. Due to laziness and an irrational urge to find an absolutely perfect pairing, I'm only just now getting around to it. Muramasa is an amazing 2D side-scrolling action game set in feudal Japan. It plays more or less like a brawler, with a little extra sophistication coming in with the enormous array of different swords that one can forge throughout the game. The game follows a confusing plot concerning a young woman whose body has been inhabited by a demon. I wish I could explain it a little better than that, but I would just be making things up if I tried.

Muramasa's best feature is its stunning graphics. A beautiful blend of anime and more traditional Japanese painting, simply looking at the characters and backgrounds makes this game worthwhile. The music is also wonderful, consisting largely of dramatic drums and flutes. Because the game has such a thoroughly Japanese aesthetic, saké seemed an obvious choice. And sometimes, obvious choices are very good ones.

Since my days of pairing Shichi Hon Yari Junmai with Red Steel 2, I've found a need to practice restraint when spending money on my blog research. I wanted to buy a good saké on a budget, and Fudo Myoo seemed like a good choice. I went with their Nigori, or (relatively) unfiltered, saké, as its cloudiness reminded me of the beautiful snowy fields that one frequently runs through in Muramasa.
Fudo Myoo is one of few saké breweries in the United States. Based in Oregon, they are named after the Buddhist deity that defends wisdom and personifies perseverance. Like revenge, their Ginjo Nigori Genshu is best served cold. It is a strong, unfiltered saké. Cloudy and creamy, it tastes of lichi and vanilla, with a slight mushroomy earthiness. It is sweet, and finishes with a hint of marshmallow.
The fruity character of the saké made it somewhat suitable for a colorful game like Muramasa. However, I felt at times that this particular booze lacked the refinement of the game I paired it with. In the end, it worked out well enough, as its alcoholic warmth bolstered my spirit and allowed me to slaughter wave after wave of ninja and samurai. As I downed the last of my saké, I found myself actually fighting Fudo Myoo, or at least a giant statue posing as him. Needless to say, at that point I had been instilled with the fiery will to strike down this impostor with great vengeance and furious anger.

Coming Soon: It looks like I might be trading a lot of homebrews for a PS3. Expect more frequent updates. Unless I just get addicted to Red Dead Redemption and play it exclusively for the next 6 months.

P.S. I got 241 stars in Super Mario Galaxy 2 before sending it back. That game is awesome.

Coming Soon...

2010-11-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Last night I paired Fudo Myoo Ginjo Nigori Genshu Sake with Muramasa: The Demon Blade. I'll write up my review as soon as I find the time. At the moment, I'm too busy getting green stars in Super Mario Galaxy 2. 45 down, 75 to go.

The Organ Trail with Tanqueray and Tonic

2010-11-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

After eating a lot delicious anchovies, burrata, scallops, duck, and pie tonight, I couldn't refuse an espresso. With no regrets, I blame the latter on my being up at this hour. Needing to simmer down, I found myself drinking a Tanqueray and tonic while playing an awesome Flash variation off of a classic PC game.

I vividly remember playing the Oregon Trail as a child. The idea of traveling out west while assaulting animals with a rifle always appealed to me. And now the blessed people of the internet have created for us a post-apocalyptic version of the game, which can be found here.
The game plays very much like the original, though shopping carts have replaced the mighty buffalo and zombie bites have replaced hysteria. I fully endorse the Tanq and Tonic as a pairing for this game, as it provides refreshment in a parched world devoid of sanitary water and civility. But start playing before 1:30 in the morning. It takes a while to make it out West.

Man on a Mission

2010-10-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest problems that I've run into with writing this blog is that I don't really spend all that much time playing video games. That, paired with my compulsion to finish games that I start, has made it very difficult for me to get around to doing new posts. I've started playing Monster Hunter Tri, and plan to post on it soon, but this afternoon I'm going to try to finish Super Mario Galaxy 2 so I can return it to Gamefly and get whatever is next in my queue. I'd love to hear any suggestions on what to pair with Monster Hunter Tri. It's a ridiculously complicated game so far, so I'm thinking I should avoid high-ABV boozes.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 with Left Hand Milk Stout

2010-09-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my blog for the last few months, you know that I have grappled in the past with pairings for Super Mario Galaxy. I was excited about the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2, but my fear of having to blog about it delayed my acquisition of the game. But that fear is now gone, as I have had a minor revelation.

I won't go into too much detail about the nature of SMG2. It is a lot like SMG, which was a lot like Super Mario 64. I had today off from work, and the only thing on my schedule was cooking some jambalaya and cornbread. Having slacked off on the blog lately, I was determined to find something to drink with the game that would be worthy of writing about. I thought about what was in my fridge. Nothing seemed right, but then I remembered my one last bottle of Left Hand Milk Stout.

The weather has been relatively cool in Chicago as of late, and I've happily started drinking more dark, malty beers. Left Hand Milk Stout is a nice, roasty stout with pleasant caramel malt and lactose providing a tasteful amount of sweetness. It is a lighthearted beer, and it was wonderful with such a lighthearted game. What really struck me about this pairing, particularly in relation to my past trouble finding a pairing for the first SMG, is that I never would have tried this in the summer. But here I was in my nice, cool apartment, drinking a milk stout and playing a Mario game. It made me feel cozy and content. Seasonal food and drink correspond with traditions created out of necessity. While the virtual worlds of video games are not affected by the weather in the real world, is it crazy to think that our relationships with these games could be?

An Apology

2010-09-06T22:18:00.001-07:00

Dear Loyal Readers,

I've been going through some shit lately that has distracted me from this blog. I have been playing video games and drinking booze, even at the same time on occasion, but have not had the motivation to write about it. But fear not. In the coming days, I will mount a furious comeback. I've got some good games in my Gamefly queue, and if necessary, I will resort to more pairings for classic games. Super Mario 3? Super Metroid? The sky's the limit. Please stay tuned.

Love,
Ben

Playing StarCraft II as the Zerg with Victory Wild Devil

2010-08-22T20:02:00.001-07:00

After recommending pairings for two out of the three playable races in StarCraft II, I was obviously on the hook to complete the trinity with a post on the Zerg. Whiskey is appropriate for the powerful and rugged Terrans, just as white wine matches the grace and finesse of the Protoss. The Zerg are a hive-minded force of monstrous creatures. Unlike their opponents, they necessarily produce large numbers of pulsating insect-like beasts that rage through the landscape, infesting any structures and lifeforms that they encounter.

Because individual Zerg troops (for the most part) are not incredibly powerful, because they are strange and take time to adjust to, and because they love to infect things, I felt that a wild ale would be very fitting for them. I chose Victory Wild Devil, as I felt that it possessed strong enough wild flavors and was extreme enough in its own way to work well.

A wild-fermented version of their well-known Hop Devil, Victory Wild Devil is moderately strong, fairly hoppy, and very funky. The wild fermentation makes Wild Devil very different from Hop Devil. The extra months of aging it takes for the Brettanomyces to do its thing causes the finished product to have less hop bitterness and a lighter body. It is creamy, citrusy, and possesses a deep barnyard-funk that I find very enjoyable. It was a good pairing for playing with the Zerg, as they share a sort of frightening organic quality that is very much unique.
I want to digress a bit to make an important point. The "Devil" in the name of the beer did not influence my decision to make this pairing. The Zerg are not demons. One of the overarching themes of StarCraft II is that all of the races do disgusting things to other races as well as to their own, and the hideous appearance of the Zerg should not indict them more quickly than the relatively familiar Terrans or Protoss. Don't judge the poor Zerglings just because they aren't as cuddly as a puppy or as beautiful as a swan. They wouldn't judge you. Instead, get yourself a nice funky wild ale and lead their forces to victory.

Further Thoughts on StarCraft II

2010-08-09T23:21:00.001-07:00

I played several games of StarCraft II online tonight. Each time, I opted to have the race that I controlled be randomly decided. I was drinking a 2009 Gessami Gramona, a Spanish white made primarily of Muscat. It is a perfumed, fruit-driven wine with pleasant floral notes and a touch of residual sugar. While researching my original post about the game, I noticed that a glass of Scotch in my hand makes me feel like Bill Adama commanding the Battlestar Galactica. However, this wine was well-suited for the elegant and sophisticated Protoss.

For all those white-wine loving StarCraft II players out there who favor the Protoss, I would advise to avoid oaktastic Californian chardonnays. They lack the refinement that is appropriate to these particular extraterrestrials. On the other hand, the austere Sauvignon Blancs of the Loire Valley would not be meaty enough. After all, we are engaging in interstellar combat. Savennieres, low-key white Burgundies, or even Sauternes should all go quite well with the Protoss.
I have some theories about what to drink while playing as the Zerg. I'll put them to the test and post my results soon. And in case anybody reading this blog wants to play against (or with) me on Battle.net, my handle is 'Berserker.' And I suck, so go easy on me.

StarCraft II with Glenrothes Select Reserve

2010-08-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

Somewhere around the time when I lost my virginity, I stopped caring as much about buying video games on the day they are released. However, when the clock rolled over to 10:00 AM PST on July 27, 2010, I was sitting in front of my computer, clicking the link to electronically purchase StarCraft II over and over until finally, after an excruciating 10 minutes, I was able to do so successfully. I blazed through the single-player campaign, drinking various boozes along the way but never wanting to stop to blog about it. I would have planned a great pairing in advance, but I was stumped. What could possibly match up to the sequel of the greatest real-time strategy game ever made? In my book, it's no sin to drink a fine Barolo while eating a shitty roast beef sandwich, but it doesn't mean that one should ever prefer to live that way. No, for StarCraft II, I would need something special.

Depth, refinement, balance, and above all, sheer enjoyability are the goods that StarCraft II have to offer. Though I did not purposefully seek it out in order to drink it while playing the game, a bottle of Glenrothes Select Reserve single malt Speyside Scotch found its way into my apartment. After tasting it, I realized that it might be just what I was looking for. The whisky is smooth, with exuberant notes of orange, toffee, and vanilla. It has a creamy texture and finishes with a hint of peat smoke.

I finally put this pairing to the test earlier tonight, while playing online with a friend. On a basic level, Scotch works well with StarCraft because there are no breaks in the action at all for the duration of a game, and the occasional sip is about all one can manage. But on a deeper level, it just feels right to imbibe such a fine whisky while commanding a fleet of Zerg Brood Lords or Protoss Carriers. I'm making the decisions, and Glenrothes makes me feel like I'm the decider, damn it. It adds elegance and sophistication to intense battles, and gives one confidence and comfort in times that can be trying. While many other single malts could probably work just as well, the somewhat lighthearted character of Glenrothes makes it a very good mach for StarCraft II.

Castlevania: Portrait of Sorrow with 2004 Chateau Lalande-Borie

2010-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

A reader recently wrote to me to ask whether handheld games require special consideration when it comes to booze pairings. Having never owned a Gameboy, Game Gear, PSP, or any other portable system, this had not been something that had previously crossed my mind. The question intrigued me, however, and I decided that I would look into it during the vacation that I just returned from. My girlfriend let me borrow her Nintendo DS, and suggested that the tiny bottles of liquor given out on planes might be perfect for the smaller system. While this seemed quite plausible, both of my flights were early in the day, and I'm just not dedicated enough to start drinking straight gin before noon.

My first plane ride at least offered me an opportunity to find a game that I enjoyed playing. Being a big Metroid fan, I tried out Metroid Prime: Hunters, but quickly grew impatient with its awkward controls. I settled on Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. I haven't played any Castlevania games since the SNES versions. Portrait of Ruin was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed the RPG elements thrown into the mix. It's a bit like a platformer take on Diablo. I had previously advised a different reader to try fine brandy or a red Bordeaux. I put this to the test, pairing the game with a 2004 Chateau Lalande-Borie.

Lalande-Borie is from Saint-Julien, and thus presumably contains a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is dark ruby, with a nose of cherry, oak, and subtle spice. After a restrained wave of cherry and currents, the wine smoothly fades into a lingering spiciness that is held up by its acidity and soft tannins. Chateau Lalande-Borie, like many red Bordeaux, is a dignified and balanced wine. I found it to be entirely appropriate for a journey into the heart of Dracula's castle. Perhaps it would have been more appropriate for earlier Castlevania games, which maintained a drearier aesthetic than Portrait of Ruin. In any case, the wine was a satisfying match for the game. Both were interesting and delightful without being brash. As for the question of the game being hand-held, I can't say it made a big difference for me. I was just as absorbed in Portrait of Sorrow as I have been in any number of games that I've played on much larger screens. The physical format of video game controllers, screens, etc. really only affects booze pairings when it comes to the number of hands that one must be using at any given time. For example, I would not recommend drinking mugs of beer over 2 liters in size while singing in Rock Band. A smaller mug will ensure that your arm does not get tired and that you will not have to put your beer down in the middle of a song.

Stay Tuned

2010-07-25T19:27:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in about a week, but don't worry. I've been on the road, but I've been doing some important research on my DS. And, as we all know, Starcraft 2 comes out in less than 48 hours. I will most likely do a series of posts concerning Starcraft, as I will be playing it a lot in the next couple weeks.

Altered Beast with 2006 Avery The Beast

2010-07-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

A while back, I vowed to try out the combination of Avery The Beast with Altered Beast. Tonight I finally made that dream come true for myself and all of my fans. Sure, it was just in my last post that I rambled about the beauty of finding pairings that are based on more than just common words shared by the two products, but I like to think that this particular pairing isn't quite that simple. After all, anything deserving the title of "beast" must be extraordinary in some respect.

Avery's The Beast is certainly extraordinary in several respects. First of all, it is a massive beer. At 14.7%, it is not fucking around. Tonight I was lucky enough to be drinking the 2006 vintage of The Beast. If there was ever any alcoholic heat to this beer, it has faded into a smooth, luscious elixir that bursts at the seems with raisiny maltiness. It is somewhat oxidized, more in the nose than on the tongue, bringing to mind good tawny port. Despite having mellowed with age, The Beast is still intense, and it clamors for a suitably ferocious video game.

When Sega released the Genesis in the US in 1989, Altered Beast was packed-in with the console. It is a side-scrolling brawler featuring a muscular protagonist who, over the course of each level, finds power-ups to transform him into a man-beast. Each level contains a different man-beast, such as a wolf-man, a dragon-man, etc. The game eventually becomes ridiculously difficult. I've certainly never beaten it, and I don't aspire to. Altered Beast is one of those old-school games that is hard largely because of its clunky mechanics. I generally have little patience for such games. However, I have a strange little place in my heart for this particular one.
I impose a strict rule in my residence that anyone playing Altered Beast must loudly yell "ALTERRRRRRED BEEEEEEAAST!!!!" anytime they are altered into a beast. Drinking The Beast substantially decreases the danger of one becoming self-conscious, and is thus entirely conducive to this aspect of playing the game. It also helps to have a sturdy alcoholic companion (I mean the beer, not your large wino friend) to get you through some of the more frustrating parts of the game. With the aid of The Beast, I lasted at least a couple more levels than I normally would have. I did finally give up when, while dodging spiky balls and satyr pugilists, a goddamn fish came out of nowhere and ended my life.

Punch-Out! with Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

2010-07-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

I have fond memories of playing the original NES version of Punch-Out! as a child. Many of them involve tears. The sweet tears of frustration that old school games supplied so handily. I don't think I ever made it farther than Soda Popinski, but damn it, I tried. I've wanted to play the Wii version ever since it was released last year, and I finally got my hands on it a couple of days ago. The newest version of Punch-Out! (Yes, I insist on using the exclamation point every time) is very similar to the original. It is challenging, and contains the same brand of ridiculous ethnic stereotypes. Thankfully, it does not try to have you use any newfangled special moves. The game is all about learning the movements of your opponents, and then wrecking their face.

After playing it for a while the other night, I found myself at a loss when trying to come up with a pairing for it. I received advice from several people, most of which involved pairing the game with very strong liquor. I resisted these suggestions, as Punch-Out! is a game of finesse. Countering the brutal attacks of your foes with nimble jabs is an essential aspect of the game, and I wanted the pairing to reflect this. I found myself at one of Chicago's more comprehensive liquor stores, wandering the aisles while humming the game's classic 8-bit tune that plays while Little Mac is running around New York in his pink sweatsuit.
I want to digress for a moment here to discuss some of the theory behind the art of playing video games and booze. As we all know, some of my pairings are based on naught but shallow connections and mutual superficialities. I try to avoid pairing dark games with dark beers, hard games with hard liquor, etc. soley because of these common descriptors, but sometimes I do it anyway because it just seems right. I prefer, however, to ascend to greater thematic heights. Sure, Stone Smoked Porter and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction are both dark in their own ways, but the pairing worked well because the beer made me feel like I could taste the acrid (no offense, Stone) smoke of hell as I journeyed through its depths. Also, ale styles of British origin are just natural fits for fantasy games.
There are other pairings that occur for no discernible reason at all. As an experienced video game and booze pairer, I may be better able to rely on instinct than some, but it does not always work out as well as I hope. Fortunately, tonight's pairing worked out just fine. As I walked through the liquor store, singing to myself, my eyes settled on a selection of beers from Ayinger. Ayinger has long been my favorite German brewery. Every beer I've had from them (mostly wheat beers) has been extremely well done. I noticed the Altbairisch Dunkel, which I had never had before. I thought to myself "Why would you pair this with Punch-Out!?" to which I replied, "I don't know, but it's about to happen, so shut up."

Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel is an old-style Munich dark lager. It pours a clear reddish brown, with a lovely head and a nice, malty aroma. Up front, one tastes a surge of caramel and raisins, which quickly fades into a long, roasty, dry finish. The beer is light in body, but rich in flavor. It is simultaneously quite refreshing and quite complex.
Altbairisch Dunkel was a good match for Punch-Out!, not least of all because it quenched my thirst while providing a lengthy and delicious finish. The game is not like Mega Man 2, where I can literally drink and play at the same time. Once a bout starts, it demands my full attention until the bell rings. Taking the occasional sips between rounds was a great strategy, as the flavor kept on going after I put my glass down. The beer is light enough that it did not hurt my reflexes. It is earthy, and tastes subtly of iron, which reminds me of blood. Drinking it while playing Punch-Out! was wonderful, and surprisingly appropriate. It also provided an important lesson on pairing video games and booze; while sometimes useful, logic and reason have no certain place in the performance of this art. I'll do well to keep that in mind in the future.

Punch-Out!

2010-07-13T04:54:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hell of a time deciding on a pairing for the relatively new Wii version of Punch-Out! The only ideas I've had are Bareknuckle Stout, which is terrible, or some kind of punch, which is stupid. I'll try to come up with something by tomorrow. It's been too long since I've posted.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands with Dogfish Head Midas Touch

2010-07-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

I remember playing the original Prince of Persia on my parents' old Macintosh SE. It was incredibly unforgiving and altogether frustrating. When the series was resurrected a few years ago, I was delighted to find that the newer games were not only very enjoyable, but also carried on a bit of the comically tragic brutality of the original. Naturally, the newer games are much easier than the older ones, but I'll take what I can get. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is better than the last couple PoP games I've played, and I'm glad to have a good pairing for it.

When I solicited ideas for a pairing from readers, both Avery Maharaja IPA and Dogfish Head Midas Touch stood out as inspired suggestions. I was only able to find Midas Touch at the stores I visited, and it worked out quite well. Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, took it upon himself to use an ancient Turkish recipe involving barley, Muscat grapes, honey and saffron. The result is a powerful golden ale bursting with fruit and spice. It tastes slightly oxidized, adding to the seemingly aged quality of the beer. Aside from the themes of wishes gone awry shared by the game and the title of the beer, the exotic aesthetic of both go hand in hand. This pairing makes for an intoxicating experience, and I give my thanks to the anonymous reader who suggested it.

Fourth of July

2010-07-04T21:32:00.001-07:00

I was going to try out the Prince of Persia/Midas Touch pairing tonight, but I got distracted by a rooftop party in Ukranian Village. It was fun watching random people's fireworks displays go off across the city. I paired that with some Anchor Liberty Ales. I have tremendous amounts of respect for Anchor Brewing, and I can't think of anything more appropriate for celebrating everything that is good about the USA. I'll get around to Prince of Persia ASAP, I promise.

Coming Soon

2010-07-03T23:34:00.001-07:00

I finally got my hands on Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. I had received two inspired suggestions for pairings. I was going to try to do both, but since I couldn't find Avery Maharaja in stock at my favorite beer shops, I'm going to go with Dogfish Head's Midas Touch. I should put it to the test tomorrow, unless I get distracted by things like work and Fourth of July festivities.

Tales of Monkey Island with Mai Tais

2010-06-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's hot in my apartment. I do not have air conditioning, and thus have been seeking refuge in refreshing drinks. While I was making some Mai Tais with Havana Bay rum, my lovely girlfriend, Tiana, suggested that we play Tales of Monkey Island while we drink them. This sounded like a very good plan.

While normally I would drink straight rum with pirate games, as Tiana pointed out, Tales of Monkey Island is not your typical pirate game. Just like the rest of the Monkey Island games that have been made over the last two decades, Tales of Monkey Island is colorful and goofy. The adventures of wisecracking pirate Guybrush Threepwood are best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, and tropical cocktails are a great accompaniment. In fact, I'm feeling so thoroughly relaxed from the pairing that I think I'll just finish this post quickly and get back to it. Besides, my laptop is heating the room up unnecessarily.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

2010-06-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

I should be getting this game in the mail soon and was hoping to get some suggestions for what to pair with it. I really have no idea what I should do.

F-Zero X with Yipsejoo Soju

2010-06-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Legend has it that I started this blog after becoming disgusted with a friend of mine for pairing F-Zero X with Houblon Chouffe, a Belgian DIPA. Whether the story is true or not, I did have several people ask me what would go well with F-Zero X. I had conspicuously omitted this information at the time of my initial post, as I had no idea what would work. The classic N64 racing game takes place in a futuristic setting with hover-cars, neon lights, and a host of weird alien competitors.

I figured the pairing for this game needed to be a clean, sleek beverage with a hard edge. I couldn't think of any beer that seemed appropriate. Wine in general is too refined for F-Zero X. Whiskey is a little too dirty. I considered vodka, but it's too European. After racking my brain for weeks, I realized that baijiu, a strong Chinese sorghum liquor, might just do the trick. However, when it came time for me to try the pairing out, I was too lazy to go to Chinatown. I saw some soju, a mild Korean spirit distilled from various grains, in the grocery store. I decided to give it a try.

Yipsejoo soju, from the Bohae Brewery, is not the best soju I've ever had. Distilled from 50% rice and 50% barley, it clocks in at just under 20% abv. It tastes like a cross between sake and vodka. To be more specific, it mostly just tastes like alcohol with a good amount of water and little powdered sugar mixed in. It was not very much fun to drink, but when consumed during the intense competitions that took place on the racetrack, it felt sort of appropriate. It was important that I had friends with me who were willing to take part in this pairing. I think baijiu would have worked better than soju, but in the end, either one would be effective largely because of the difficulty involved with choking it down. I bought two 375ml bottles of soju, so I might have to try this one again.

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time with Brouwerij Westvleteren 12

2010-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

When I first tasted Westmalle Tripel two years ago, I instantly became fascinated with Trappist ales. I tracked down Rochefort, Achel, and Orval, and found that I loved them all. Reading about these breweries, particularly in Stan Hieronymus's "Brew Like a Monk," I found myself more and more eager to try the beers of the one Belgian Trappist brewery that does not export. Westvleteren 12 has the reputation of being the finest of all Belgian abbey ales, and naturally, when a very good friend of mine picked a bottle up for me during a trip to Belgium, I was ecstatic.

It was hard to choose a video game to pair with Westvleteren 12. Everything I had heard about the beer suggested that it was rich, complex, and an altogether epic experience. I considered The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, as it possesses the same qualities. However, after a loyal reader suggested The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (or Zelda: TOoT, as Zelda: TOoT veterans call it), I knew what I must do.
Zelda: TOoT is one of my favorite games of all time. I bought it on the day is was released in 1998. I have played through it several times, each of which takes a good many hours. A friend of mine and I once went so far as to set up two TVs and N64s next to each other and start games of Zelda, TOoT at the exact same time in order to see who could beat it faster. After 7 hours, I was about half-way through the game and firmly in the lead, and my opponent admitted defeat.

Please excuse me if I'm getting off-track here. I just get so excited about Westvleteren 12 and Zelda: TOoT that I could probably write a hefty book on this topic (publishers can reach me at videogamesandbooze@gmail.com). I'm not going to go into further detail about the nature of the game, as most of my readers are probably quite familiar with it. I will, however, talk a little bit more about the beer. It comes in a bottle that bears no label, and is marked only by its cap. It pours a hazy brown with golden-brown highlights and a creamy beige head. It has an aroma of sweet malt and dried, dark fruit, similar to Kellogg's Raisin Bran. A sip of Westvleteren 12 sends one's palate on a fantastic adventure through the fields, forests and hills of flavorland. One first encounters delicious, graham-crackeresque malt, dried apricots, raisins, and prunes. Due to a relatively high level of carbonation, the beer has a creamy, yet prickly, mouth feel. It's initial flavor gives way to a refreshing acidity, which fades back into slightly sweet barley, then to a surprising bitterness, and finally back to a maltiness that lingers on the tongue for days. Seriously, after I finished this beer, I refused to start drinking anything else until I could no longer taste the Westvleteren in my mouth, and after about 30 minutes, I finally gave up. Even after taking sips of my new beer (Barley Island Flat Top Wheat Ale, which I recommend), I could still taste the first.
Westvleteren 12 has been hyped-up quite a bit in the last few years, and while harp-playing angels did not carry me up into the clouds while I drank it, it was awesome to finally get to try it. I'm not sure that I liked it much more than Rochefort 10, but it was certainly unique and incredibly tasty. I'll admit that I focused more on the beer than the video game, but when all was said and drunk, I came away armed with a newfound sense of courage. This helped me to quickly vanquish the evil Dodongo and move on to the belly of the piscine Lord Jabu Jabu. This pairing was like eating a pulled-pork sandwich while riding a unicorn through a starry sky. Both elements were so enchanting that it was hard to give adequate attention to either, but it made me extremely happy to be alive.

What to play with my Westvleteren 12?

2010-06-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

A very kind friend of mine was travelling in Belgium recently and sent me a bottle of Westvleteren 12. Out of the six Trappist monasteries in Belgium that brew beer, Abbey Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren is the only one that does not export their beers outside of the country. They produce very limited quantities of beer, and they ask that people who buy it do not re-sell it. Not wanting to violate the wishes of a small brewery run by monks, I have resisted the urge to buy their beers from websites that do just that. It's been hard, as Trappist ales are some of my favorite beers, and Westvleteren 12 is supposed to be the best of them.

I finally have a bottle, and not wanting to waste such an opportunity to continue the important research that this blog conducts, I need to choose a game to go with it. I'm thinking maybe Zelda: A Link to the Past or The Legend of Zelda. I am positive the beer would go well with Diablo II, but I've already done that to death. Or perhaps the best choice would be Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure. This beer has been a holy grail for me, after all. Let me know what you think.

Red Steel 2 with Shichi Hon Yari Junmai Sake

2010-06-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was given a bottle of Shichi Hon Yari Junmai sake along with the advice that it is fantastic, and that it is spectacular with food. Naturally, I was excited, and started thinking about what game I could pair it with. Muramasa: The Demon Blade came to mind, but I thought that was too obvious. Once I had added Red Steel 2 to my Gamefly queue, I realized that this would probably end up being the game I was looking for.

Shichi Hon Yari Junmai is named after the Seven Spears of Shizugatake, seven legendary 16th century Japanese generals who served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The sake is incredible. I am neither stupid nor insane, so I enjoyed a glass of it alongside beef teriyaki with mushrooms and other vegetables before I sat down in front of the TV. Shichi Hon Yari has a mellow aroma of mushrooms, chocolate, and rose petals. It tastes of the same, along with a touch of wet clay, litchi, and cantaloupe. It is smooth, well-rounded, and above all, earthy. It was fantastic with my food.

Red Steel 2 is a first-person shooter that relies heavily upon swordplay, courtesy of the hitherto-useless Wii Motion Plus attachment. It's setting and story are a combination of Akira Kurosawa and Sam Peckinpah. The game was not the first to incorporate samurai themes into the wild west, but the music and visuals of the game are refreshingly unique and well-done. The gameplay is also good. It's been a long time since a Wii game made me reach for the ibuprofen due to wrist pains, but this one did the trick. I consider that to be a good thing.
The samurai themes of Red Steel 2, along with the dusty red-dirt streets of its setting, make it go hand-in-hand with Shichi Hon Yari Junmai. This sake is as earthy and sumptuous as any beverage I've ever tasted. It stole the show tonight, but playing this particular game made it all the more enjoyable. Please try this at home.

Update: Red Steel 2 is really exceeding my expectations. The fighting is much more fluid and complex than I would have expected. I never played the first one, as I heard it was kind of crappy, but I recommend the sequel.

de Blob with Dark Horse Raspberry Ale

2010-06-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have a tendency to pair fruit beers with cartoony video games. de Blob certainly qualifies as cartoony. The game involves controlling a paint-covered blob that rolls around colorfully painting gray scale landscapes. It's unique and somewhat entertaining, though it has thus far failed in providing much of a challenge for me.

Dark Horse Raspberry Ale pours a hazy orange with a creamy head. It smells like fresh raspberries, and tastes like a moderately-hopped pale ale with raspberries in it. While I give the beer credit for tasting genuinely of raspberries, it's bitterness causes it to taste slightly of cough syrup. It is quite refreshing, but ultimately not that tasty. The same could be said of de Blob. It's quite different from any other game I've played, but it doesn't keep me interested.

While de Blob and Dark Horse Raspberry Ale share similar qualities, I was disappointed with this combination. Just as being at a baseball game makes cheap beer seem delicious, a well-paired drink should make a mediocre game more enjoyable. The Raspberry Ale simply did not complement de Blob like I thought it would.

Too tired to post...

2010-06-11T19:09:00.001-07:00

I was planning on doing the research for another post tonight, but I just got home from work and I have to be back in less than 10 hours. Don't worry though, I'll be posting again soon enough!

Super Mario Bros. with a Perfect Manhattan on the Rocks

2010-06-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

After watching the awesome Blackhawks defeat the terrible Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals, I needed to relax. I was going to try to find a pairing for de Blob, which seems to be a decent game, but not one that I felt like playing. I didn't know what I wanted to play. But I did know what I wanted to drink.

The Manhattan is my cocktail of choice, preferably of the "perfect" variety that uses equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth. I mixed myself one on the rocks using Very Old Barton 100 Proof Bourbon, Angostura bitters and a fresh cherry garnish. Then I started looking at my video game library. My choice was obvious.

Super Mario Bros. is a classic and classy game that goes very well with a cocktail of the same breed. Both it and the Manhattan appear to be of simple construction, but are the epitome of their own genres. Both are extremely enjoyable.
It took me about an hour to get through the game. I'm not in my peak form, and honestly I've always had the tendency to freak out around Bowser. I had met him in level 8-4 twice, and was determined to try only once more. I played it fast and loose to get to him quickly, and by the time I reached his castle, I had but one life remaining. I entered his chamber. Cascades of axes and brutal fire were flung at me, but I leapt through their midst unscathed, and finally delivered the death-blow unto this foul creature. Could I have done it without the Manhattans? We'll never know.

Coming soon: Avery Brewing Company's The Beast (Vintage 2006) with Altered Beast. WISE FWOM YOUW GWAVE!!!!!!!!!!!

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle with Stone Ruination IPA

2010-06-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

A while back, I was asked to recommend a pairing for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. Having never played the game, but knowing that it features brutal violence and takes place in what seems to be a quasi-Californian setting, I recommended Stone Ruination IPA. Having recently subscribed to Gamefly, I decided to put this pairing to the test.

It's a good thing that I was able to rent this game instead of buying it. Playing this game was a lot like watching the Takashi Miike movies that quite possibly inspired it. By the time I turned it off, I felt dirty and wondered why I had played it for as long as I had. The game revels in vulgarity, making excessively overt commentary on society's sexualization of violence. I am in no way an opponent of crudeness in video games, but this particular one seemed to emphasize shock value far more than gameplay. The game is a monotonous brawler, aside from a slew of mini-games that seem mildly entertaining. After playing for two hours I didn't care to find out whether it was going to get better.
I'm going to stop rambling on like I'm some kind of video game reviewer. While normally video games and booze go hand in hand to create a joy that exceeds the sum of its parts, sometimes booze is just the saving grace of a situation that you wish you weren't involved in. Just like going to a hipster party or eating at Domino's, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is made substantially more palatable by beer.

Ruination IPA is big and tasty. It clocks in at 7.7% abv, and proudly boasts to have over 100 International Bitterness Units worth of bitterness. The loads of hops are balanced out nicely by nutty, biscuity malt along with a subtle yeasty fruitiness. The boldness of Ruination, in addition to its strong bitterness, made it entirely appropriate for consumption alongside No More Heroes 2. While the game was not my cup of tea, the pairing was good. Originally feared that it would take me several days to get through the game, thus delaying my next blog post. However, I am happy to say that I am simply going to mail it back tomorrow, having only made it to the fourth boss.

The Drunken Moogle

2010-06-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

Today I stumbled across another website about video games and booze. Rather than recommending the pairing of a specific booze with a specific game, it lists cocktail recipes based on games. It's pretty awesome. Check it out here.

Wii Sports Tennis and The Bruery Saison de Lente

2010-06-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

The weather has been getting warm as of late, and I've been feeling more and more outdoorsy. Thus I had the urge to play Wii Sports Tennis. The game can make one surprisingly sweaty, and so naturally a refreshing beverage is a great accompaniment. I was going to try out a handful of summer seasonal beers, such as Goose Island Summertime, Bell's Oberon, Two Brothers' Dog Days, etc. However, I found The Bruery Saison de Lente on sale. I've been wanting to try it ever since having their Saison Rue, and I figured that a style of beer that was originally invented to quench the thirst of dehydrated Belgian farmhands would be good enough to keep me going through an exhausting bout of Wii Tennis.

Saison de Lente pours with a spectacularly meringue-like head that never dissipates. It is light amber in color, and has a nose full of funk, cloves, and a surprisingly noticeable amount of hops. The beer has a very light body, but is loaded with flavor. It tastes of banana, clove, citrusy hops, and earthy funk. The beer is fermented (at least partially) with Brettanomyces, which causes it to be quite dry. This is what gives it its pronounced funkiness. Saison de Lente is more bitter than most saisons that I have had. I liked the beer, although the combination of strong, clove-like phenols and substantial hop bitterness always makes beer taste overly medicinal.

Saison de Lente is certainly refreshing, and as this was exactly the quality I was looking for in a pairing for Wii Tennis, I suppose it was a successful match. Unfortunately, I did not find myself in need of refreshment, as my opponent (a good friend of mine who will remain anonymous) did not necessitate any exertion on my part. In short, I whooped his ass over and over, and did not come close to breaking a sweat. Not that he is terrible at Wii Tennis, but it takes a special player to compete with my skill level, which according to the game's calculations is literally off the charts. Anyway, it was an enjoyable experience, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Belgian farmhouse ales. Next time, I might try Saison Rue, or perhaps my favorite saison of all time, Saison Dupont.

Super Mario Galaxy with 2007 Les Vignerones de Tavel Terre des Lauzeraies Côtes du Rhône

2010-06-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

After my last post, I wanted to test my theory that there is some kind of red wine that pairs well with Super Mario Galaxy. As I have mentioned, a Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel was entirely too powerful. Mario games, with the obvious exception of the Lost Levels, offer gleeful, easy-going experiences. They are quite accessible, but are not lacking of complexity in their construction. In short, they are juicy, flavorful, and altogether delicious. They are the chicken of video games. Specifically, the chicken that has been brined overnight and roasted to perfection.
So what do I like with my chicken? A lot of things. But perhaps because of Mario's red suit, or because of my suppressed urge to pair Mario games with Chiantis, I felt the need to try another red with this game. Some of my favorite reds for roasted chicken have been Côtes du Rhônes, so I found a relatively cheap one, a 2007 Les Vignerones de Tavel Terre des Lauzeraies Côtes du Rhône, and tried it out.

I wish I could tell you the blend in this wine, but neither the store where I purchased it nor the internet could provide me with this information. For a $10 bottle, it was as good as one could expect. My guess is that it was largely made up of grenache. Cherry and vanilla flavors dominated, with notes of lemon peel and a hint of plum. It might have benefited from a little less oak.
Overall, the pairing fell a bit short of my expectations. While the relatively simple, enjoyable wine went well with some levels, such as the Rolling Green Galaxy, it failed to enhance the cartoonish seriousness of others, namely the Battlerock Galaxy.

The pairing was by no means offensive, but it did clearly demonstrate that my approach to finding a pairing for Super Mario Galaxy needs to be reconsidered. Maybe a rosé, a white, or a different type of booze altogether would be better.

Next up on The Art of Pairing Video Games with Booze:

Summer is here, and the time is right for Wii Sports. And booze. I'd love to hear suggestions. If you think you know what's up, send your ideas to videogamesandbooze@gmail.com.

At a loss

2010-06-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm drinking a 2007 Bodegas Castaño Hécula Monastrell after getting home from an extra-long workday. A sturdy red with a pleasantly acidic and tannic backbone, it is rounded out with notes of cherries and prunes. Now what the hell am I going to play with this wine? Let's take a gander at the old video game library.

Super Mario Galaxy? No. When I first got the game, I drank my way through most (okay, all) of a bottle of Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel. While that particular wine, like everything else that Ridge makes, was entirely awesome, it taught me that powerful red wines are not to be paired with lighthearted video games. Not that this Monastrell matches the intensity of the Ridge, but it still seems inappropriate.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade? I'm saving my bottle of Shichi Hon Yari Junmai Sake for that one, and I'm not about to open such a fancy bottle at this hour.

Madden '07? Of course not. I really have to get some new video games.

I swear to baby Jesus that I will post later this week with a brand new pairing that does not involve Diablo 2. Please have patience with me.

The Terrible Truth

2010-05-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Email from concerned and angry fans of this blog has been piling up in my inbox. People want to know why I have been so slow in writing new posts. They thirst for more delicious recommendations. I have indeed been lazy, but I want to make it clear that I have not forsaken video games, booze, or combining the two in ways most exquisite. To be fully honest, I have not posted new entries as frequently as I originally expected because I have lapsed in my recovery from that terrible drug, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Sure, as I have previously pointed out, Stone Smoked Porter is a great pairing. But I might as well run through some alternatives, since I have tried out a good number of them over the past few weeks. Here are some quick reviews:

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction with a 2005 Arceno Chianti Riserva Classico

This Chianti went quite well with Diablo. Given the amount of blood and red potions and fortresses that appear in the game, all but the lightest old world red wines should be a nice match. 2005 Arceno Chianti Classico Riserva was no exception. It was, perhaps, a little more restrained than would be ideal, but surely a relatively subtle red is more appropriate than a California fruit bomb. I particularly recommend this wine with acts I and IV.

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction with Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout

I'm not a big fan of most coffee beers. I love coffee, and I love beer, but I find that all too often, coffee beers taste like stale coffee grounds. Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout was an exception. Situated comfortably between dark-roasted and caramel malts along with the boozy vanilla lent to it by its bourbon barrel aging, the beer's coffee flavors were part of a beautiful balance. And most importantly, the coffee notes tasted fresh.
GIBCBCS paired well with Diablo II, which is not surprising, given the affinity that imperial stouts (and dark ales in general) have for fantasy games. However, at 13% abv, I found that it dulled my skills after a while, and by the time I was half-finished with my second glass, I began to die with alarming frequency. It's probably best to split this one with a friend, especially during Act V.

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction with Short's Huma-Lupa-Licious IPA

West Coast IPA's and swords do not go hand in hand. I enjoyed Huma-Lupa-Licious, though it did not enhance my gaming experience any more than any other decent beer would have. If I had been playing Act III while I drank it, I might have felt differently. Act II would probably have worked out okay as well. Unfortunately, this beer is inappropriate for Acts I, IV and V.

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction with a Jim Beam Perfect Manhattan

A little bit of sweet vermouth, a splash of dry, a few drops of Angostura bitters, all topped off with good ol' Jim. Jim Beam is not at all the best whiskey for Manhattans, but it does in a pinch. Similarly, Manhattans are not the ideal beverage to consume while playing Diablo II. But hey, after a hard day at work, they're not so bad together.

Only one option is left if I am going to rip myself from the clutches of Diablo and get around to playing other games: I need to play it so much that I become disgusted with myself. I'll get to work on that right now.

World of Goo with New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

2010-05-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

I recently drove up to Madison, Wisconsin, with my brother in order to wait in line for 5 hours to buy tickets to the Great Taste of the Midwest. The Great Taste is a fantastic beer festival that is held in Madison every August, and I'm sure it will prove to have been worth the trip to get tickets. While in Madison, I was sure to buy some beers from New Glarus Brewing Company. New Glarus doesn't sell their beer outside of Wisconsin, and while I wish they would distribute to Chicago, I know that their small size has a lot to do with the quality of their products. I was most excited about picking up a bottle of their Wisconsin Belgian Red, a cherry lambic that I had only ever tasted a thimbleful of prior to last night.

Tiana (my lovely girlfriend) had recently expressed interest in re-playing World of Goo, a fantastic downloadable game that involves building structures out of little goo blobs in order to help them travel through strange and colorful landscapes. I thought that the Wisconsin Belgian Red might go well with this game, so last night, we fired up the Wii and poured the beer into large white wine glasses.

The pairing worked out pretty well. Wisconsin Belgian Red is the color of dried blood and has an intense cherry pie aroma. It tastes richly of cherries and spice, its refreshing tartness balanced by plenty of sweetness. Wisconsin Belgian Red is a tasty candy of a beer, with more to it than Lindemans Kriek or other sugary pseudo-lambics. World of Goo is similarly colorful and unique. They are cartoonish in delightful and thoughtful ways, and consuming them together was a lot of fun. Of course, good pairings are not always the result of similarity. Perhaps an imperial stout could have been just as good. I do feel that beer is probably the way to go with World of Goo, or failing that, some fine German schnapps.

Recommendations

2010-05-10T14:24:00.001-07:00

A couple of people have posted comments to ask for recommendations for specific games or boozes. I am happy to give advice, so keep the questions coming. I will try to implement a feature that keeps all of these types of exchanges in one location on the blog, but for now I'll try to check all of the different comment sections in order to catch questions as they come in. I'm going to be trying out a new pairing tonight, and most likely I will post the results tomorrow.

Mega Man 2 with 2008 Weingut Baron Knyphausen "Baron K'" Riesling Kabinett

2010-04-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Growing up in the golden age of Nintendo consoles, I never fully appreciated Mega Man games. I believe that this stemmed from my tentative approach to platform games, where I'd tiptoe up to each pit, take a deep breath, and then jump, with my heart pounding and palms sweating. Mario games have always had the elusive ability to be fun for players of varying skill levels, and I preferred them in my early years for this reason. It wasn't until I was much older that I took on The Lost Levels (Super Mario 2 in Japan). Tiptoeing simply doesn't cut it in The Lost Levels, and in order to make it through levels, one needs to generally maintain a great deal of momentum. A balls-to-the-wall approach was my only option, and using it, I prevailed.
Returning to Mega Man games after this revelatory experience made me realize what I had missed. Sure, I had played a bit of Mega Man 2 and 3 and maybe even a little 4 or 6 as a kid, but it had always been an exercise in frustration, resulting in tears and controllers hurled from my tiny, useless hands. Upon downloading the first game to my Wii from Nintendo's Virtual Console service, I found myself able to progress steadily through it. It wasn't a walk in the park, but it was challenging in an incredibly fun way. I found Mega Man 2 to be even more delightful. Playing through the entire game in one sitting became a regular late night activity for me and my buddies. Sometimes I took it too far, like the time I called in sick to work and played through it three times in a row. Basically, I like this game, and though I've tried many different booze pairings with it, one of the best happened last night.

More than any other in the series, Mega Man 2 is a tightly-constructed game. It is not difficult, but playing through it quickly requires skill and focus. Above all, it is a pleasure to play. It is tricky enough to make players feel rewarded, yet it does not contain the sadistic bosses and ridiculous jumping puzzles that can be found in the rest of the series. It is a clean and comfortable celebration of the essence of its genre, neither too serious nor too frivolous. The 2008 Weingut Baron Knyphausen "Baron K'" Riesling Kabinett that I enjoyed alongside Mega Man 2 shared these properties. Though kabinetts are generally the driest rieslings, the Baron K' possessed a perfumed honey sweetness that was balanced perfectly by flavors of ripe granny smiths, peaches, and citrus. Like Mega Man 2, the wine was not terribly complex, but was well-rounded and delicious. It was crafted with precision, and succeeded at being exactly what it set out to be.
At 9.5% alcohol by volume, the Baron K' was not going to impede my gaming skills. Or so I thought. Having had a couple beers beforehand, and being in a state of exquisite relaxation after a hard day's work, I let my enjoyment of this pairing get the better of me. At my peak, I was able to beat Mega Man 2 in 47 minutes without dying a single time. Last night I died two or three times, once in a manner so embarrassing that I continue to feel the bitter sting of shame from it (and surely won't describe it here). I ended Dr. Wiley's life (or did I?) after 1 hour and 4 minutes. Nothing to be proud of, but then again, I wasn't setting out to best any records. As when I enjoy a tasty steak with a good Bordeaux, I took my time, but still finished faster than most people would.

Other suggestions for Mega Man 2: Chopin on the rocks, Weihenstephaner Original (Munich Helles).

Diablo II with Stone Smoked Porter

2010-04-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Like any man in his mid-twenties, I love me some Diablo II. I have played it on and off since it was first released, and while it's rarely much fun, I never get tired of it. Having moved from Philadelphia back to my sweet hometown of Chicago a couple of months ago, I have started to occasionally play the game online with a couple of my good friends out on the east coast. We don't have great conversations when playing, but in some ways it's a pretty good way for us to stay in touch. We planned to play last Sunday, and in preparation, I bought a 22oz. bottle of Stone Brewing Company's Smoked Porter, which I poured into a glass mug.Perhaps it was an obvious choice, but many classic pairings are. As we descended through the depths of hell to the Chaos Sanctuary, the subtle smokiness of the beer made me feel as if I was really on Diablo's doorstep. The deep caramel and dark fruit flavors were as delicious as the vengeance that my dual-wielding sword barbarian (named "DoubleTrouble") laid down upon the minions of the Lord of Terror. A sturdy hop bitterness was similarly appropriate to our terrible mission. I strongly recommend this pairing. Alternative pairings for Diablo II are Rochefort 10, large quantities of English mild ales, Jagermeister, peaty single malt Scotches, or any bold Italian red.

Welcome!

2010-04-27T15:40:00.001-07:00

Welcome to The Art of Pairing Video Games with Booze! I never dreamed of starting a blog on this topic until recently, when I encountered a situation that made it all too clear that the public has an overwhelming need for my services in this department. Recently, I attended a fantastic dinner at a friend's house. It was a beautiful day for grilling, and to celebrate the warm weather, we had a leg of lamb roasted on the grill along with saffron couscous, roasted potatoes, braised carrots, and a cold cucumber salad. My friend served a 2005 Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza and a 2006 Porter Creek Syrah, which were extremely enjoyable and fantastically appropriate to our meal. This was followed with a fine selection of Spanish cheeses accompanied by a bottle of Sandeman Royal Corregidor Oloroso.
I could hardly have felt more satisfied after the meal, as my friend (who will not be named for reasons that will soon be obvious) is a talented cook and a great host. He told me that he had recently picked up his old Nintendo 64 from his parent's house, and asked if I would be up for playing some F-Zero X. Naturally, I was excited by this proposal, and we soon sat in his living room, untangling a mess of cords attached to plastic three-pronged controllers. As I was connecting the system to the TV, my friend went to the kitchen to get us some beers. When he returned, my jaw dropped. He had brought back a 750ml bottle of Brasserie D'Achouffe's Houblon Chouffe! Could it be that my same friend who had displayed such appropriate taste with his choice of wines for dinner had now committed this faux pas? Certainly, F-Zero X is not the easiest game to find a pairing for, but a Belgian IPA? Unthinkable. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Houblon Chouffe, along with everything else I've had from Brasserie D'Achouffe. But drinking it while playing this particular game is tantamount to serving an imperial stout with chicken soup, or a Sauternes with the arcade version of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Needless to say, I left my friend's house immediately, and we have not spoken since.
You now know the somewhat painful story of the origin of this blog. I hope to provide guidance to all of those like my friend, who, though perhaps possessing the best of intentions, wouldn't know their ass from a hole in the wall when it comes to pairing booze with video games. I hope I can make a difference.